Anomalies
by Mining300
Summary: Po finds himself reliving the day he became the Dragon Warrior after a ravenous fight in the Spirit Realm. Question is: Can he keep everything the same? Or will he create something entirely new? (Basically Post-3rd Movie Po in First Movie)
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Valley of Peace had lived up to its name since Kai's defeat. An era of peace, as Po called it, had washed the Valley of crime and evil desire. Or rather, fear had washed over the criminal hearts leaving only petty crimes for the Furious Five and Dragon Warrior to mop up. It gave them more time for personal matters, including the forming of stronger bonds and intimate relationships.

Po's ears twitched as soft footsteps made their way into the kitchen. He didn't have to turn his head to recognize who it was. He smiled, "Good morning, I hope you slept well."

Tigress sighed, obliviously content. "I'm still on my good streak, that's for sure. Haven't had a nightmare in a long while." Po tore his gaze from his soup, landing his gaze on the feline. Her fur was a bit messy, concerning him a bit. She shrugged her shoulders, "I was wondering if you wanted to brush my fur today."

"R-really?" Po didn't bother to hide his surprise. "But, you take so much pride in your work. I really don't want to mess it up— "

"You won't." Tigress cleared her throat, her voice had been a bit too stern. "I'd . . . appreciate it. Besides, I can always rebrush it."

Po was silent for a moment, "I . . . suppose. But, only if you're sure it's alright."

"It is, Po."

The two started dating a couple months after Kai's defeat. The battle with Kai had been hectic and everyone had battle wounds to recover from. Both emotional and physical. Po himself had bruised muscles, torn ligaments— not to mention his spiritual form had disconnected from his physical one from the sheer amount of chi he had embodied to defeat Kai. His body had not been prepared to hold an entire villages chi. Lucky for him, Shifu knew a thing or two about the Spirit Realm and with a bit of meditation and Oogway's favorite tea Po was back to relative normal.

Po and Tigress had started things out slow. Neither had been too sure on how to start or conduct a working relationship. Nor, had they wanted to ruin what they already had. It had been a month before their first kiss— it was short and sweet. Worth the wait.

Crane walked into the room, taking a look at Tigress. He debated with himself if he should mention that her fur was a mess, but chose that he liked living. He walked around the table to his seat, "Anyone notice anything strange today?" Tigress glared at him. "I mean how Shifu didn't wake us up and how there was no gong." He added quickly.

Po shrugged, "Shifu said he had some business to attend to and decided to give us a semi-free day. Just asked one of use to do sweep of the Valley around lunch. I think he may be checking inventory."

Crane nodded, "How'd I miss that?"

"You were busy showing Viper your calligraphy yesterday." Po smiled, "How was your date, anyways?"

"I was a bit worried that she would be bored out of her mind, but it seems like she had some fun." He looked from Po and Tigress, "We're going into town today to buy a few things. I'm getting more ink for my calligraphy set and Viper said she was going to get a new color of dancing ribbons. I know shopping isn't your two's thing, but we wouldn't mind the company."

Before Po could open his mouth Tigress started to speak, "I don't see why not. After we're done shopping Po and I could go on patrol. Someone has to keep the Valley safe."

"So, is everyone else asleep?"

Po stirred the soup, a small smile forming on his lips. "Nah. You guys were the last to wake. I know that Mantis and Monkey are somewhere in the valley. I think they wanted to do a morning patrol. And Viper . . . I think she's talking to my dads."

Crane titled his head, "I slept in that much?"

Tigress folded her arms, a grimse on her face. "This is going to throw off my schedule."

Po chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure you'll spring out of bed when you hear the gong tomorrow." He took a whiff of the soup, "That's about— " Pots and pans rattled and the building around them shook. Almost as soon as it started it had ended. "An earthquake?" Po quickly checked to see if everything around the room had stayed in place. "Can't remember the last time we had one of those around here."

"Pretty weak, too." Tigress leaned back in her chair. "A lot quicker than I remember the last one being."

Crane stood to his feet, "Do you think there are any damages?"

Tigress shook her head, "I'd only quess minor ones."

"Well, I'd rather not leave it to chance." He walked around the table and towards the door. "I'll see you two later. Hopefully we can still go on our trip."

Po frowned, "Make sure to get something to eat. You don't want to go on an empty stomach."

Crane smiled, "I'll stop by your dads." He waved his wing and walked through the door.

Tigress turned her head to Po, "We'll follow after your soup is done."

Po nodded, getting out two bowls and setting them on the counter. "It's almost there. A minute or two and we should be good."

_Young Panda . . ._

Po paws stopped moving and he turned his head. Tigress looked at him, concerned. "Po? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Po shrugged. "I thought I heard something. Must've been the— "

_Po . . . _

". . . wind." He took a step towards the center of the room. "That sounded like— " Bright flashes of color assaulted his eyes and his head throbbed. He winced and stumbled, quickly grabbing his head.

_Dragon Warrior!_

"Po!" Tigress sprang up from her seat and Po's vision went black.

Po snapped his eyes open and looked down, he was floating in some kind of void. There was no place to stand. He didn't know what to do, there was nothing he could do. He didn't know why he was here and his mind was having trouble processing where he was. So, he flailed.

"Young Po, relax. You are safe." The panda looked up into Oogway's comforting eyes. "For now. I'm not sure if I can guarantee that for much longer."

Po's eyes widened, "O-Oogway?"

He nodded, "Listen to me, Dragon Warrior. Listen very carefully. I need you to relay a message to Shifu for me. The Eye of Huīchén is in the Spirit Realm. It's in the claws of a lizard named Shijie." He floated over to Po and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry that I caused you pain to bring you here, but Shifu must know immediately and it would be far more difficult for me to contact him." He frowned, "I do not have the luxury of time and neither do you."

Oogway disappeared, leaving only a lingering trail of dust in his wake. Po was pulled back, his head pounding with pain. His eyes snapped open and he sat up in a frenzy, hissing in pain. Two paws supported him, "Po! Are you alright? What happened?"

Po was breathing heavily, his eyes darting across the room. He turned his head up to meet Tigress's eyes. She was kneeling next to him. "_Shifu_. I have to find Shifu."

"Po?" He pushed her back and started standing to his feet, shaking his head one more time before heading for the door. Before he could make it, his shoulder was yanked back from her firm grip. "You were just unconscious. You need to rest."

"No." Po yanked his shoulder free, "I must find Shifu. He'll know what to do."

"Po!" Po ignored her shouts and sprinted for the door, sharply turning and running down the hall. _The Hall of Heroes! That's where Shifu must be! _He bashed open the door with his shoulder and started down the path to reach his destination. Tigress was soon running right next to him. "What's got you so worked up? What happened in there?!"

Instead of replying, he closed his eyes and started to sense around for Shifu's chi. First he felt Tigress, her chi was strong— potent. Aside from Shifu, she may have been the most potent source of chi in the mortal plane. Unlike Po, she had worked towards increasing her power at the cost of technique.

Next, he sensed Shifu. He was naturally strong with chi and it make him easy to sense. Though, Po could also feel a disturbance within the universe. It called out to him, warning him. His eyes snapped open. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

At least he was heading in the right direction. The two bursted into the Hall of Heroes and Shifu turned to them, a grimse on his face as they stopped before him. "Something is off." Shifu looked Po in the eye, "I take it you feel it too."

"It's the Spirit Realm. I was contacted by Oogway."

"Oogway?" Shifu stroked his beard, "This must be serious. For him to contact one of us."

Tigress turned towards Po, "What did Oogway tell you?"

"That we don't have the luxury of time." Po narrowed his eyes, "He said he didn't either. He sounded urgent— tired, almost. Said something about a lizard named Shijie and something called the Eye of Huīchén." Shifu's eyes widened in horror and Po continued. "Never heard of an artifact called that." He looked towards Tigress, "You?"

She shook her head, "No. Never. I'm as lost as you." Shifu backed away from the two, turning on his heels and running away from the doors, towards the pool and the shelved scrolls. "Shifu?" Tigress looked at Po and the two dashed after him.

Shifu passed the pool stopped in front of the shelf. He hands lit up in chi and he pushed it forward, soaking it into the scrolls. The walls shook, trembling as Po and Tigress came to a stop behind Shifu. The three watched as the wall separated, revealing a small room. Po looked along the walls, whispering in excitement. Tigress had never seen the room either.

Shifu ran into the small room, stopping before a small box and slowly opening it. His face drained, whispering, "It's gone."

Po took a step forward, "What's gone? Is it the Eye?"

"I failed." Shifu took a step back. "I failed."

The ground shook fiercely, shaking the Jade Palace, causing artifacts and scrolls to fall all around them. Po turned his head just in time to see the Urn of Whispering Warriors crashing into the ground. _Not again. _"Another earthquake?!"

Shifu's eyes darted around the Jade Palace, "No . . ." As soon as the earthquake stopped he sprinted past the two others, running toward the door and stopping in complete shock. Po and Tigress followed, stopping just as Shifu did.

The Valley of Peace was in ruin. Building after building seemed to have collapsed and others were on fire. They could see mobs of villagers running and masses of . . . something else swarm after them. There were a few barren pockets and other areas where it seemed the swarm stalled.

Tigress clenched her fists, "We're under attack!"

Po went to lung forward, to start and run towards the Valley, but Shifu's cane stopped him. "Tigress and I will head into the Valley, Po!" Po turned towards him. "You must head to Spirit Realm and meet up with Oogway."

"But, the Valley's under attack! How can I just leave?"

Shifu narrowed his eyes, "This attack is the work of this Shijie in the Spirit Realm. These attackers are being controlled by him!" Shifu took a deep breath, calming himself. "We will route the attackers and protect the Villagers. Once the situation is under control we will come to help you, but if Shijie is defeated his attack will cease to be." Shifu turned towards the Valley, lowering his cane. "I'm sending you because you've done the impossible time and time again."

Po reluctantly nodded, "Okay."

Shifu looked between his two students, "Now would be a good time to say goodbye. This may be your last chance."

Po took a step back, "The Eye can't be that strong . . . can it?" Shifu stayed silent, before sprinting down the stairs. Po turned to Tigress, his eyes wide with fright and worry. "We don't have to say goodbye! It's not the end. It can't be."

Tigress hugged him, burying her head in his chest. Po didn't hesitate to hug her back. "I've never seen Shifu so . . ."

Po placed his chin on top of her head, "Yeah, I know." They stayed like that for almost a minute, Tigress feeling Po's chest rising and falling, and Po feeling Tigress's hot breath against his chest. They parted, taking a few steps back. Po smiled, "I won't become a permanent resident of the Spirit Realm. I promise you,"

Tigress nodded, "You've always been good on your promises." She was silent for a moment, "We'll come help you."

"Not if I beat Shijie first."

Tigress caught his smile, so contagious. "Always hoping. Listen, if this is the last time we get to see each other I just wanted to say— "

"No." Po stopped her short, "Don't talk like that. Please."

She stared into his pleading eyes before swearing under her breath. Instead, she said, "Goodbye." She followed after Shifu.

Po watched her go, his heart sinking in his chest. _Well . . . time to get started. _He focused his inner chi, channeling into into his fingertips. He drug his feet along the ground in a circular motion, leaving chi to engrave the earth below him. It pulsed around him as his paws glowed a vibrant golden color. He took a deep breath, golden mist passing by his lips. "Okay . . . I'm a bit out of practise." He turned his paws over, facing his palms toward the sky. Chi seeped from the ground, covering his body in an golden mist. He closed his eyes, letting the chi soak into his fur.

Everything shifted around him and Po opened his eyes, looking up to see the sky a mash of blue, green, and gold. All three colors violently fought for control, electricity sparking in the air. He narrowed his eyes, "That's . . . strange, and a bit worrying." Back when Kai had taken the Spirit Realm, it held only green light in the sky. But now, there were three forces fighting for control.

He looked down at the _ground_. A giant slab of floating rock, big enough to be a stage of sorts. "Now . . . if I was a villainous sociopath who wanted to rule over the mortal realm where would I be?" Almost as if that had been a call to action, his ears twitched and he turned his head to the noise.

Po rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a silver blade aimed for his chest. He sprang to his feet, eyes locking onto the white avian with blood-soaked eyes. "Shen," He cleared his throat, a nervous smile plastered over his face. "Now isn't the best time."

Shen narrowed his eyes, hate radiating from his being. "Honestly, how stupid can you be? Did you not think that I would take my chance to kill you once you arrived." He scowled, "And I knew you couldn't resist— chasing after the lizard. He's tearing reality apart, but at least I'll finally soak the dirt with your blood and spill your organs across the floor!" He thrust his robed wings forward, half-a-dozen knives whipped threw the air.

Po sighed and raised his arm till his paw was pointing at the flying knives. His paw lit up with golden energy and he waved it in a circular motion. A transparent golden disk made of chi formed in front of him. As the daggers hit the chi they briefly stopped in mid-air before falling limp to the ground. Po waved his paw, dismissing the chi shield. Shen's body shook with rage. "Shen, I have more important things to deal with."

Shen snarled, dashing forward. Po took a step back. There was no way to calm the peacock enough to avoid confrontation. The warlord could not see the writing on the wall, too blinded by his own hatred and malice. The panda had no choice to fight, but his blood held urgency, not war.

Po twisted his body out of the way of Shen's strike. Quickly, he grabbed Shen's wing and pulled it up. Before the peacock could react Po grabbed his chest and slammed him into the ground, pinning one wing. "Can't you put your vengeance on hold?"

Shen flicked a knife into his grip and swung it up at Po's head. The panda titled his head back, the knife grazing his cheek. Po jumped back, stumbling a few steps before regaining his footing.

Shen stood to his feet. He took a deep breath before rushing forward. Unfortunately for him a silver blade slammed into the ground in front of him, cutting off his path. Both Shen and Po snapped their heads to the side as a third warrior joined the fray. Shen narrowed his eyes and Po froze in fear, breathing his name. "_Tai lung._"

The snow leopard took a deep breath before walking towards Shen, "I think that's enough. I'm giving you back your weapon so you can fight alongside _us_, not against us."

Shen darted his eyes over to Po for a second before glaring at the leopard. "_Us?_"

Tai lung nodded. "The Dragon Warrior and I are going to fight Shijie."

Po's eyes widened, bewildered at the fact that Tai lung didn't want to kill him in cold blood and trap him in the Spirit Realm as Shen did. "We are?"

He nodded, "We are."

"Oh . . . cool," Po straightened up, tension leaving his shoulders.

Shen snorted, "And why would I work with _him_? I _hate _him."

"Because Shijie needs to be defeated. The mortal realm isn't the only one in jeopardy. All of existence will cease," He folded his arms, "The Eye of Huīchén is far too powerful to rest in anyone's paws. It must be contained or destroyed." He snapped his head to Po, "You do hear that, don't you. After we best Shijie the Eye cannot be used— not under any circumstance."

Po blinked in confusion, "Have you always been this rational?"

Tai lung sighed and turned towards Po. He opened his mouth to speak before closing it once more. He let his arms hang by his side and walked over to Po, his eyes set forward and his lips taut. Po tensed up as Tai lung passed him, bumping his shoulder and stopping just behind him. They were facing away from each other. "I was blinded by my conquest of power. The temptation of the Dragon Scroll and the denial to possess it drove me crazy." His voice was sad and guilt-ridden. "I will not say that is an excuse for my actions. I've had a lot of time to think, but what's done is done." He straightened his back, his voice loud and assertive. "But now we must work together and we cannot afford to let past vices shift this battle. Everything depends on _our _victory."

Po turned toward him, "What happened? What did you see?"

Tai lung turned around, looking the panda in the eye. "I take it Shifu hasn't told you much about the artifact." Po shook his head. "Figures . . . one mistake after another, Shifu. Well, let's put it like this. Oogway is fighting Shijie as we speak and I'm not sure how long he can stall."

Po narrowed his eyes, "_Stall?_ He's that powerful?"

"The Eye of Huīchén is that powerful when properly channeled." The leopard turned towards Shen, "Can we count on you?"

Shen frowned, "I would never team up with the panda, but . . . I suppose I do owe you a favor."

Tai lung smiled, "You won't regret this when it's said and done." He turned back to Po, "Let's get moving. Who knows how long Oogway can last."

"Indeed." The three's heads snapped to the side. A green-scaled lizard with red eyes stared them down. His tattered robe swayed in a chilled breeze. He smirked as he tossed a small green object his hand. "What is _time, _really?"

Fear spiked along Po's spine, "Is that . . . one of Kai's pendent?"

Shijie chuckled, "Oh, yes it is. I'm glad you noticed." He clutched it tightly in his grip. "Oogway was far stronger than I originally anticipated. He had even been fast enough to almost pry the Eye from my grip. He even managed to touch it for a few seconds. You see, I knew I couldn't defeat this aged tortoise— not conventionally. So I rewound his personal timestream, turning back the clock if you will." He held up his right arm, showing them an blue oval gem, radiating with power. "It's really a convenient artifact. A shame that Shifu let it slip through his fingers." He was silent for a moment. "I wonder if Oogway was able to do anything in those seconds where the Eye bent to his touch."

Tai lung balled his fists together, "What a cheap tactic."

Shijie's eyes widened in excitement. His grip on the pendent tightened and a low cracking noise could be heard. His smirk widened to stretch across his face. A low glow emitted from in between his fingers. "He is not the one I wanted to battle," A sickening crack emanated from his grip and the glow immediately ceased. He opened his hand and turned it, allowing the shattered pendent to fall from his grip. "The old master was just in the way."

Po's eyes fell to the ground, locking onto what used to be the pendent. His shoulders quivered and his mouth hung slightly agape.

Shijie took a step forward, "Now that he's gone we can finally move onto the main event." He gestured to all around them, "Welcome to my— "

Tai lung snapped his arms into the air, cupping his paws together. Golden light burst from his paws, forming into an unstable ball of chi. He slammed his paws into the ground and the chi burrowed into the ground. Not even a second ticked by until the ground ruptured, golden cracks shot out across the stone. Golden light burst from the ground, blinding and knocking everyone back. The platform exploded, turning it from one stable stone area into dozens of smaller asteroids.

Po flipped in midair, landing harshly on a small platform. He stood up, taking a deep breath. Tai lung landed on a platform a couple of yards away. "Focus. We cannot dwell on anything during this fight."

Po found himself nodding. "You know more about this _Eye _than I do. Any suggestions?"

"We need to get it away from him. Harder said than done." His eyes scanned the asteroid field. "As long as he holds it he has complete control of reality."

"Then we get creative." Po closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel the universe around him, it's presence filling his being. His body seemed lighter and his ears twitched, being able to hear Tai lung's breathing. He opened his eyes, now a shade lighter and brighter. "Obviously hitting him head on won't work. He'll just use that _thing _to negate our attacks or . . . kill us."

Tai lung didn't answer for a few seconds, "You have Inner Peace?"

Po snapped his head towards him, light green eyes boring into him. "Weren't you the one that said to focus?" He snapped his head to look ahead. "Go all out from the beginning." His paws glowed gold. Chains made of chi burst from his paws, wrapping around his wrists. On the end of the chains were a swords made of chi.

"Are those Kai's weapons?"

"Yep." Po threw the swords out, sinking the blades into their own platforms. "We need to find either Shen or Shijie. We can't let them square off alone. We'll lose Shen." He launched himself forward by yanking on the chains, as he had seen Kai do in the past. Tai lung followed, using chi to enhance his movement to jump further and higher than he normally could. Po's eyes scanned the debris for lizard or peacock, hoping to find them soon.

* * *

She had expected soldiers to attack the Valley, not undead drones. Corpses brought life, with glowing blue eyes. They were faster than she thought a corpse barely being held together could be, but they were exceptionally fragile. Tigress punched one in the face, a few of its teeth were thrown across the floor as it's body fell. She continued forward, carving a path towards the center of the village. No doubt someone would be protecting it.

She pounced forward, driving her fist into one of the drone's guts, causing it to hiss as it doubled over. She chopped it on the back of the neck and it collapsed on the ground. Quickly, she twisted around and punched another one in the face and kicked another in the chest, taking down both.

She let out a breath she had been holding. It was such a good thing these things were pitifully weak. Even now, there may have been too much to take down, but any stronger and they wouldn't stand a chance.

She continued forward running on all fours. She had yet to see another member of the Jade Palace or another living soul. Shifu must've already taken care of any villagers near the stairway to the palace. She narrowed her eyes, or the villagers were being carrolled away from the palace. She grit her teeth and quickened her pace.

It didn't take long for her to change her course, however. There was a mob of undead, circling around something. She rushed over, not caring who— or what was being attacked. Only when she saw a familiar streak of green did she know what was happening. She jumped into the fray, punching forward to take down one enemy and slamming her elbow into another. Two more fell without her intervention. "Mantis," She took down another one and picked up it's body, throwing it into the mob, knocking down and pinning another couple of undead monstrosities. "you seem to be handling yourself well."

He slammed into one's chest, knocking it over and riding it to the ground. "Of course I am, these things are weak. It's really weird."

Together the two took down the rest of the mob. Punching and striking faster than the undead could step forward. Mantis spoke first, "Upon first glance they seem to quite quick, but compared to us they can't keep up. Though— "

"They're being powered by a secret artifact that's been stolen from the Jade Palace." He looked up at her as she elaborated, "The Eye of Huīchén, I believe. Shifu freaked when he found it gone."

"Yeah, no kidding. If we weren't here the whole valley would be destroyed by now. And those earthquakes— "

"Possibly from the Eye as well." She scanned the environment. "You and Monkey were patrolling together, correct? Did they get him?"

Mantis shook his head, "Nah. We thought it would be better to split up once we saw how weak these things were." He was silent for a moment, "You said an artifact, right? Is their leader here?"

"No. Po's going to confront him in the Spirit Realm. Once we defeat this legion of the undead we can join him. I'm going to liberate the village center."

"I'll join, but we should divide and conquer afterwards."

She nodded, "Agreed."

* * *

Po was the first to find them— or rather, one of them. It seemed Shijie hadn't actually moved all too much, standing still on a rather large sized piece of the platform they had been on previously. He watched from above, waiting for Tai lung to catch up.

Usually, Po was one to rush in and use whatever he had to defeat the enemy. He rarely thought ahead in battle, letting the rush get to his head. He narrowed his eyes. Not today, he had too much to lose here, with an artifact way too powerful for anyone. For this battle, he would take a lesson straight from Tigress.

Tai lung landed behind him and Po immediately spoke, "Find your own platform." The leopard raised an eyebrow and Po turned his head to him, "Don't engage. I'm going to talk to him."

"He just killed Oogway."

Po nodded, sorrow biting at his heart. "I know. He must be feeling a bit confident right now." He looked back down, "Shen hasn't engaged yet so I _can_ actually talk."

Tai lung was probably thinking Po had gone insane. "Why?"

Po bent down and stuck the chi swords into the platform he was on. He stood up, loosening the chains wrapped around his wrist. "To be honest, I'm a bit curious." He took a step closer to the edge. "Buy us a little time, maybe even convince him to give up."

"He won't."

"I know." Po looked at him one last time, "Now, get off the rock." He jumped forward, plummeting like a rock through the void. The golden chains's slack started to weaken as he stretched them out from his fall, until he hit the ground a few feet in front of the lizard. "Shijie."

The lizard watched as Po stood up from the fall, "Dragon Warrior. So nice of you to drop by."

Po cut straight to the chase, "Why'd you kill Oogway?"

Shijie frowned, "He was in the way."

"And the Valley of Peace. In the way, as well?"

"No." He smiled, "But, your friends are and there was no way they'd leave the village unprotected."

Po growled, "What do you want?"

"A fight."

"You fought Oogway."

Shijie bared his teeth, "Not who I wanted to fight."

Po pointed forward, the golden chains thrashing. "You came here to fight someone who was already dead, didn't you? Well? Who was it? Tai lung? Shen?" He lowered his arm quickly, "Kai's already dead, so it can't be him. Master Thundering Rhino, perhaps?"

"I didn't come here for them." He smiled wide, "No, no, no. I knew Shifu would send you here if I made my presence known. The miracle maker. The survivor." His eyes widened with glee, "The mimic. China's Savior." An energy swirled around him as his face distorted in a manic excitement. "The. Dragon. Warrior."

Po's eyes widened and he took a step backwards, "Me?"

Shijie nodded, bloodlust building. "That's why I dragged on my fight with Oogway, so he could call you here."

Po narrowed his eyes, "That's why you attacked the Valley. To divide us." He grabbed the golden chains in his paws, "Well? Are you willing to kill innocents to fight me?"

Saliva dripped from his jaws, "Always."

"That's what I needed to hear." Po pulled on the chains, screaming in effort as he did so. He looked up before jumping back as the rock platform crashing into Shijie and the surrounding area. Po rolled across the cracking ground as a blanket of dust shot into the air.

Po coughed as the dust settled, looking over too see the small platform had cracked into a few pieces upon contact with the ground. He lowered his head, taking a few more deep breaths before a warm sensation coated his body. He turned his head to look behind him.

"You killed him." Tai lung didn't seem upset by the fact, almost a bit relieved. Golden energy seeped from the leopard's paws, slowly healing Po's body.

"I had no choice."

"There was too much at stake." Tai lung moved his paws, focusing on another part of Po's body. "Now, you just have to collect the artifact and be done with it, though I did expect more of a challenge."

"Tai lung . . . why are you healing me?" Po didn't wait for a response, "Not that it's not appreciated but . . . I know you hate me. I'm the one who defeated you— sent you here." Po turned his head to the side, eyes growing sad. "Killed you."

"Yes . . ." The leopard pulled his paws back. "I do hate you. Not as much as Shen . . . but, I do _hate _you. It used to distract me so much. All I could think of was how I wanted to tear you limb from limb. I wanted to see you suffer and then . . . I would take your life, maybe even twice."

Po stood to his feet, "I get the picture."

"How many children do you think suffered that night?"

Po turned his head to him, his voice gone quiet. "What night?"

"That night."

Po turned to face him completely, "Oh. That night. I . . . don't know. A lot."

"You and Shifu . . . I've hated you both for years, but the more I thought and meditated the more I realized there was someone I hated more. That deserved to suffer— _deserved _what came to him. Me." He narrowed his eyes, guilt and rage mixing within them. " I ruined lives, scarred children, destroyed dreams. I swore to protect them and . . . in the end all I did was hurt them."

Po placed his paw on Tai lung's shoulder, "I should have gave you a second chance."

He shook his head, "You forget. You gave me a second chance, but I was too blind to see it." His ears twitched and he pushed Po to the side, "Do you hear that?" He took a step forward, watching the pile of debris shift. He grit his teeth, "Go heal."

Po turned his head to the debris as it started to lift, dust falling off it. "And leave you alone with him?"

Tai lowered into a defensive stance, "I've trained with my chi so it can enhance my body as I fight." He clenched his fists, for a second Po could see golden steam rise from his palms before it dissipated into the air. "I can last." He smirked, "Unless you think I'm not up to the task."

Po watched him for a second before turning around, "I'll be back soon." He slipped away, off to go heal his wounds.

Tai lung watched as the rock's lifted into the air, a blue light expanded around them. Every second he could muster would mean they were one step closer to victory. As the debris was pushed to the side, Shijie was glowing, surrounded in a thin layer of blue energy. The leopard narrowed his eyes, noting that energy was not chi.

Shijie rushed forward franticly, eyes twitching over the landscape. His breathing was quick and his jaw trembled. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"He's gone."

The lizard turned on Tai lung, "Bring him back! It's our _destiny!_"

Tai lung scoffed, "Don't you _dare _talk about destiny with me. Besides, the future cannot be told, it's never as it would seem. Trust me," He smirked, "I would know."

Rage burned in his eyes, "You . . ." He thrust his arm forward, gem simmering with light. "Die!"

The ground burst, rock jetting forward in spikes. Tai lung jumped backwards, dodging the first round, and having to leap to the side to dodge the next. Shijie screamed in frustration and sent a barrage of pure energy at the leopard. Tai lung rolled out of the way, only realizing that it was more than one burst of energy when the next slammed into his chest, throwing him backwards.

He smirked as he dug his feet into the platform, "Moron." That angered Shijie even more and he clenched his fist around the artifact, sending a huge wave of pure energy at the leopard. Tai lung stood up straight, dusting himself off from the previous blast. _Unconcentrated. Weak. _He held his arm out to the side, pulling his chi into it. Golden energy swirled around his fist and he crouched down and pulled his arm back, waiting for the perfect moment. His smirk widened and he punched forward, splitting the energy wall creeping up on him, blasting it away with a gust of wind, and sending shockwaves hurtling towards Shijie.

The lizard didn't block in time before it slammed into him, throwing him backwards, tumbling into the ground. He roared in rage and scrambled to his feet, baring his teeth and hissing at Tai lung, who's eyes held a bit of malice and glee. The lizard stomped forward, "I will destroy you!"

"You'll try."

Shijie screamed, the very ground beneath them shaking and splintering. The spirit realm shook with his anger, lightning sparking along the Eye. Tai lung lowered into a stance, ready to jump, lunge, or roll to safety. An attack, however, had yet to come. The shaking of ground lessened and the lightning almost entirely ceased. The anger stitched to Shijie's face started to drip away, his eyes changing from rage to a almost serine understanding. He looked down at the gem in his clutch and back to Tai lung, "I see."

Tai lung's smirk fell, "And what is that?"

He straightened up, "There is no control in anger, only hunger. The Eye of Huīchén demands clarity." He narrowed his eyes, "Trying to bring out my anger so I can't fight properly. And here I thought you were a proud warrior."

"Why should I fight you with pride when you've already displayed yourself to be far from a warrior of _any _calibur. You're a madman, a monster."

"Who are you to judge?"

"A man who regrets . . . I suppose you could say I've seen this before, only reversed." He clenched his fists tighter, "Though, at least I had to guts to fight without a crutch."

"Stalling." The word rolled of the lizard's tongue. "You're stalling!" He took a deep breath, quieting his excitement. "Do you think the Dragon Warrior will save you?"

"Do you really believe you are the master of that relic?"

Shijie narrowed his eyes before raising it up, clutching it tightly. His eyes and jaw shook after a few seconds of nothing happening and his muscles tensed. "How— " He turned the Eye to look at it directly, "But, it worked before!"

"Let me guess." Tai lung folded his arms, "On Oogway." Shijie raised his head to look at him, his anger returning. "You really didn't want to fight Oogway. You were scared. Afraid of what he could do." Tai lung knew just how powerful the old turtle was. "Po and I are different— "

Shijie exploded in rage, "Don't you _dare _compare yourself to him!"

He continued, "Something about us excites you. Even if I'm . . . less. You can't kill us without trying us out first." He smirked, "That Eye you have, it can see your emotions. Not only does it bring what you _think _you want_, _but also _truly_ want. And your emotions are holding back your power."

"Why tell me?"

"Because that's not something you can change. You're _stuck _like this. The being with the most power in the universe has the emotional density of a toddler!"

Shijie threw his hand forward, the Eye glowing blue, screaming at the leopard. Three burst of energy burst from his aura and shot towards Tai lung. The leopard smirked before jumping away, his boosted chi sending him back meters instead of mere feet. He found himself chuckling as the bolts of energy twisted away from the ground, blasting off towards him. "Tracing, huh?" He slammed a foot into the ground and jumped at a sharp angle, the blasts again changing direction to come after him. "Pitiful." He slid on the ground, coming to a full stop. With a grunt, his paws glowed gold and he batted the first two energy bolts, shattering them with ease. The third he caught in the center of his palm, twisted his body around and chucked it back at Shijie.

It didn't hit the lizard, instead hitting the ground in front of him and sending dust and smoke in every direction around him, effectively blinding him. He growled, holding up the gem. "Insect." Suddenly, his eyes darted to the side as several silver daggers zipped at him, tearing through the smoke. All but one missed. He gasped in pain, a dagger in his wrist and the amulet fell from his grasp.

Shen burst through the smoke, moving with a speed and determination that surprised anyone and everyone looking on. Shen outstretched his wing towards the amulet, a move that could single handedly end the conflict or start a new one. His feathers grazed the relic when a scaled tail wrapped around the gem. Shen pulled back, putting distance between the two of them.

The smoke had cleared completely and Tai lung's eyes widened to see the two staring each other down, "Oh no . . ."

Shijie narrowed his eyes, "Oh, Shen . . . how many mistakes can one make. No matter the reality," He grabbed the gem from his tails grasp and held it towards him, "no matter the world, you are always just a tad bit short. Always gasping for a breath that is all too shallow." The amulet glowed blue, "Embrace your destiny. Succumb to the state beyond death."

Arching talons jet forth from the ground beneath Shen. They closed in around him, ready to engulf him. Ready to sink into him. Ready to kill him and soak the void with his blood.

A golden chain wrapped around Shen's left wing and suddenly he was pulled from the trap. He hit the ground with a thud and the chain vanished, a single wisp of golden smoke the only evidence it was there to begin with. Shen whipped his head around, red meating jade. "I will not say thank you."

Po didn't say anything back, only keeping his eyes ahead, sweat beading down his face. He had a feeling they still didn't see the most the Eye of Huīchén had to offer. Shijie, however, was ecstatic. "Dragon Warrior! I see you've _finally _decided to join the fray! However . . . I am disappointed with you. Such cheap tactics you've been using. A killer move as the first shot . . . how unheroic."

He narrowed his eyes, "You're not leaving me much of a choice."

"Fight me to the death." He noticed Po's hesitant eyes, "Willing to kill, yet not willing to fight till last breath? How strange. Do you not want to see my _bruised, beaten _body? Does it not excite you? Make me suffer for what I've done." He was silent for a moment, his excitement disappearing for a brief moment. "I see I'll have to change your attitude."

Po scoffed, "Good luck with that."

He smiled wide, "The Eye of Huīchén is very powerful, Dragon Warrior. With it, I can shape reality." His eyes glinted with malice, "Your friends . . . what would happen if one just never existed?"

"You wouldn't."

Shijie shrugged, "You're right . . . their _deaths _could affect you so much more! I could kill them in any number of ways. I can have my hoards tear them apart. I could make it so they couldn't breath. They could bleed out. Even heart failure. So, who will it be? Shifu, Monkey, Mantis," Po clenched his fists, "Viper, Crane," Po's arms were shaking. "Oh!" He stared into Po's soul. The Eye glowed with power, "How about Master _Tigress!_"

Po lunged forward, reeling his right arm back. In an instant, it was coated in golden flames. "Don't you touch her!" Po punched him across the face, a loud, sickening crack riverbed across the Spirit Realm, making both Shen and Tai lung tense up.

Po clutched his arm as the his left it, his breathing sharp and rigid as he cradled his now broken arm. Several spikes of chi were pumped into his arm, repairing it enough to fight.

"Master of Chi . . ." Po snapped his head up to look into Shijie's red eyes. "who can't even throw a chi-infested punch. How disappointing."

* * *

The center of the village was infested with the undead. Shifu had met up with Viper and Crane on his way there, and the tree sliced a path through the Valley. He slammed his foot into one of the undead's chest, simultaneously throwing it to the ground and ricocheting him towards his next target, striking it down with a swing of his cane. He landed on the ground and briefly looked towards the villager's huddled together. Crane swooped down, batting a few undead away before retaking into the skies. Shifu grit his teeth, "Viper!"

The serpant hhad wrapped herself around one of the monster's throats and was using their arm to punch themselves in the face, a dangerous technique. She sprang off the undead, landing next to Shifu and the two stood back to back. As the undead approached, they struck outwards, Shifu using his cane and Viper snapping her body like whip. "What do you need?"

"You're getting far too close to their faces." He turned his head to her, "We still have no idea these things work— if they're just undead being controlled or something far worse." He snapped his head forward, eyes watching as several of the beast-in-question rushed towards him. "Don't let them bite or claw you, understand?" He jumped forward, spinning and kicking one in the face and hitting another one with his staff.

She nodded, "Understood."

"Right." He landed on the ground, sweeping one of their enemies off their feet. "Protect the circle. We cannot afford any close calls." His ears twitched and again he turned. "That sound . . . reinforcements have arrived." He turned back to the circle, "Quickly, clear the area."

Five Warriors sprang into action. Shifu and Mantis darted from foe to foes, striking quickly and moving on, felling enemies in mass quantity. Crane pumped his wings, sending a gust of wind strong enough to throw the undead of balance and quarreling them away from the villagers.

Tigress slammed her first into an undead's jaw, almost tearing it's face in half. She took a couple deep breaths before a whipping sound snapped her out of her daze and she turned her head in time to see an undead fall to the ground. Viper stared up at her with concern. "You okay?"

The tiger nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just— my chest hurts a bit. I'm feeling a bit out of breath."

Viper nodded before the two sprang into action, taking turns striking forward, striking enemy after enemy down in their path. As the numbers decreased, Crane landed on the ground and the five warriors converged, encircling the undead and finishing the last of them off.

Shifu eyes Tigress for a moment before taking a few steps closer to one of the fallen undead. He examined it, "Did any of you notice something . . . odd about them?"

Tigress shrugged, taking a deep breath before speaking, "For starters . . . they don't look like any animal I recognize."

Mantis chimed in, "Oh! They have glowing blue eyes!"

Shifu nodded, "Yes, they're manifestations, not actual people." He turned to them, "Whoever has control over the Eye of Huīchén isn't bringing dead warriors back to life, they're conjuring up their own warriors. Question is, why are they so weak? Why not make them stronger?"

Tigress crossed her arms across her chest, "There isn't much variety . . . do you think they're all the same because they can't afford to lose focus?"

"No." Shifu frowned, "I think it's because it wasn't important to them. This," He gestured around them, "is not their plan." He was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "We need to finish up quickly. Crane, take to the skies, keep on the lookout for any survivors and guide them here. If you see Monkey, let him know that we have a safe place here. Mantis, you and I are going to systematically destroy group after group of these abominations as quickly as we can." He turned to Tigress and Viper, "You two need to protect the circle, make sure this pile doesn't reanimate itself." He turned to look Tigress only in the eye, "Breathe. Reduce your stress."

Tigress was about to ask what he meant by that before turning her head to the side. The others followed suit. Standing before them was a dead man. A discolored peacock in a torn white robe, decayed as much as the other undead. She unsheathed her claws.

* * *

Po kneeled next to Shen, lightly slapping his face to try and get him to wake up. Tai lung was just a few steps forward, cautiously eying Shijie. Though, the lizard didn't seem eager to press forward, too proud of what he had just done. Po whipped around, "What did you do?!"

Tai lung sighed, "Just what I wanted to know."

The lizard tilted his head upwards, briefly closing his eyes. Po could feel a shift in energy from him as the Eye glowed. He narrowed his eyes, knowing what was going on. "He's peering into the other realm."

Tai lung turned his head to him, "How do you know that?"

"I've seen Oogway do it before." He stood up, "What I don't know is why. Why do this to Shen and why peer into the Mortal Realm." He raised his voice, addressing Shijie. "I know you can hear us! What did you do to Shen?"

Shijie smirked, not saying a word. Tai lung snarled, "Forget this!" Po's eyes widened as he realized what Tai lung was about to do. Before he could yell for him to wait, however, Tai lung launched forward, using his chi to blast into battle. He swung at Shijie, who simply dodged with unnatural speed. The leopard sprinted after his target, unrelenting in his pursuit and swiping his claws repeatedly. Angered, he kicked forward and Shijie's speed increased, backing away quicker than before, seemingly levitating. "I see you've regained your focus." His paws glowed with energy and he slammed them into the ground.

The ground ruptured, mixing stone and chi and sending both exploding forward into Shijie. Tai lung bounded backward, stepping away from the blast and taking a deep breath. A few drop of sweat soaked into his fur.

The resulting smoke turned from gold to blue and was swept aside. Shijie's smirk still remained as he stared at Tai lung, "Reaching your limit?" His eyes darted to the side and he reeled back, Po's fist barely missing his snout. Po's paw hit the ground and he flipped away from Shijie, sliding across the ground for a few feet, summoning chi disks into his paws. He reeled his arms back and threw one disk after the other.

Shijie levitated into the air, his cloak swaying in the void. He tilted his body, avoiding one disks and then used the Eye to change the other's coarse, causing it to miss by a long shot. Both ended up hitting their own small platform, coating them in thin layers of chi. Po's paws glowed gold and he pulled back his arms.

Shijie's face twisted in confusion before he turned his head, only to see one of the platforms crash into him, crashing into the ground. Po turned all his attention to the other platform, putting both his paws forward and slowly shifting it's coarse away from their platform. He took a deep breath, letting his control of the platform go.

Tai lung ran up to his side, "We won't be able to beat him alone." The crashed platform started to crack and shake. "We need to fight him together."

"Play defensive. Lure him in." Po's paw's glowed gold, "Also, brace yourself."

Almost as soon as Po said that, the crashed platform shattered, sending splinters of rock and chunks of stone flying in every direction. Po waved his paws in a circle, forming a shield of chi. He swept his paws apart, enlarging the shield just in time for the shards pass through it, falling short as the momentum was sucked into the shield, making it glow a brighter gold.

As soon as the way was clear, Po pulled his paws back together, forcing all the chi into a small ball. He took a deep breath before chucking it at Shijie. The lizard couldn't help but roll his eyes, thinking of how he expected more from the legendary Dragon Warrior.

Po clenched his fists at the last second, exploding the ball into golden smoke. He turned his head to Tai lung, "Let's go!" The two rushed in, the leopard reaching the smoke just before Shijie could swipe it away. He punched through the smoke, hitting Shijie in the chest and throwing him back a couple of feet. He pressed forward, assaulting Shijie with a couple of punches before Po could arrive. The two started throwing punch after punch at Shijie, who dodged most of their attacks, his feet inches above the ground.

After a few missed strikes, he jumped into the air, causing both Po and Tai lung to miss. Their heads snapped upwards, following Shijie's ascent. Po's eyes widened as Shijie swiped the Eye. "Move!" He jumped to the side as a slash of air tore into the ground, splitting the platform in half.

Po rolled across the ground, almost hitting a wall, and turned on his heel, seeing Tai lung sliding next to him. Po created golden chains in his right paw and looked up at Shijie. "Get ready!" He didn't give Tai lung any time to prepare before whipping his chain up at the lizard, wrapping it around his leg. "Pull!" The leopard grabbed the golden chain with one arm and pulled as hard as he could, his chi-enhanced strength yanking Shijie downwards faster than he had went upwards.

Po jumped on the wall and launched himself into the air at Shijie, clamping onto his shoulders and pushing him towards the ground. The lizard's eager glare unsettled him, though. "Is this what you want? A fight to the bitter end?"

Shijie smiled, showing Po his teeth. With one arm, he grabbed Po by the shoulder and the other held the Eye, glowing brightly. He straightened them up, both landing on their feet. "It's _so _close. Almost the perfect moment." His eyes widened in manic glee, "The perfect battle!" He pushed Po away, "Yet, you hide and scuttle. You don't truly want to kill me— not yet. There are _so many things _in the way." He spread his arms wide, "Though I must admit," He licked his teeth, "I am _enjoying _myself here."

Po backed up until he was standing next to Tai lung. The leopard turned his head slightly, "Got any more tricks up your sleeve?"

Po hesitated, "I might, but everything we do doesn't work. It's almost as if the Eye has no weakness. No limits." Without turning his head, he greeted the newcomer, "Welcome back, Shen. I hope you feel well rested."

Shen seethed in rage, "Did you think I was napping?!" He swiped his wings in front of him, "That wasn't _restful_— that was torture! I saw through my own eyes, yet I wasn't in control!" Po and Tai lung turned to face him, seeing a mixture of rage and pain flood his eyes. He rubbed his neck with a grimace on his face, "And to top it all off, I was killed by your _girlfriend!_"

Po turned to him completely, "What?"

He snarled, "The tiger— whatever her name is— she killed me! And- and then I woke up." He turned his gaze from Po to Shijie, "I was there, I felt it. You used me . . . for some kind of physic shell of a peacock! You made me your slave . . ." Shijie didn't respond, only seeming to bathe in Shen's grief. "I'm going to— " He stopped short, his body going rigid with fear. "Going to— "

Po narrowed his eyes, "Shen?" He turned to Tai lung, whom was also stiff and shaking. "What?" He looked at Shijie, who seemed just as confused, eyes flickering between the two.

"He's dead." Tai lung shook his head, "_You _killed him!" He turned around, "I thought I'd never _feel _that presence again!" Shen was now facing in the same direction, slowly backing up, swearing under his breath.

Po took one last look at Shijie before turning in the same direction, "What is it?" He noticed the sky visibly go from a even mixture of green and blue, to a stronger influence of green. He lowered his head in time to see the figure land in front of him. His eyes widened, phantom pain spreading throughout his entire body.

"Kai . . ."

The yak stood to his full height, chains attached to jade swords and all, though he was missing his jade pendants. He eyed the four, taking a step forward, causing Tai lung and Shen to take hasty steps backwards.

Shijie laughed, clapping his hands once before smirking at the new arrival. "Oh, this is amazing! A new challenger, a fight I thought I'd never get to have. Kai, the only one to _truly _grace Oogway's heart." He gasped, "Oh, Oogway's desire . . ." He chuckled, mostly to himself, "I see, his heart brought you back."

Kai narrowed his eyes at the lizard, "What are you talking about?!"

Shijie held up the Eye of Huīchén, "Oogway touched this for but a moment and his will brought you back to life— or at least, existence."

"And where is Oogway now?"

Shijie smirked, "Gone."

Kai blew air from his nose, "_Gone? _What do you mean he's gone?"

"Gone, like you were." Kai turned to Po, allowing the panda to continue, "Shijie," He nodded his head to the lizard, "turned him to dust. He gone forever now."

"Oogway . . ." Kai clutched one of his jaded swords. "You killed him, is that true?"

"Of course." Shijie said, eyeing Kai's swords.

"Then you will _pay._"

Shijie eyes the four of them, "Splendid. All of you attacking me— some of you with more bloodlust than others." He smiled excitedly, "Ah, yes, come kill me. Show me your power! But," He held the Eye up high, "First, let's cause a distraction."

As soon as the Eye glowed Tai lung's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground, his back hitting the stone underneath. Po turned to him in an instant, "Tai lung?" He rushed to his side, feeling his pulse. _Alive . . . I guess. _"This . . . this happened to Shen."

* * *

Viper slithered away from the villagers, eyeing the tiger as she did. "Tigress?" She turned her head at Viper's voice, but said nothing. Her foot rapped against the ground and she had long since folded her arms. Viper understood why she was anxious. They wanted to help clean up the valley, but they understood the need to protect the villagers. "Worried?"

"It's not that I don't believe in their strength. I know they can handle it, but if Shen could come back, then who else?"

Viper nodded slowly, even if Tigress couldn't see it. "I _know. _I thought about that too . . . but, you know that's not what I meant."

Tigress's ears flattened. "It's just- I shouldn't worry. Po can handle himself, even against Shen or Tai lung."

"You're still worried."

"He's with Oogway . . . he'll be fine. I just- I wish I was with him, so I would know." She stopped tapping her foot, sighing. "I want to be by his side. Protecting him, keeping him out of trouble."

"I understand. I'm worried about Crane." She looked into the sky, "And out of all of us, he's probably the safest." She was silent for a moment, "Your chest pain. How is it?"

Tigress unfolded her arms, placing a paw against her chest. The pain had been getting worse, building in a way. She lowered her arm, "Fine."

Viper nodded, "Good. I hate to see you in pain."

Tigress held up her paw, "Wait. Do you feel that?"

The serpent nodded, "The air just got colder."

The tiger's ears twitched. "Quiet." She could hear the soft footsteps of someone about her size. It was coming from the other side of a building. "That sounds . . . familiar." She crept forward, "Stay here. Protect the villagers." She looked at Viper, waiting for her to softly nod before she continued on her way. She stepped past a house, rounding the corner. She walked further and further away from the center of the village, following the noise as it seemed to draw her away.

She recognized the noise the instant she heard it. She would never forget the footsteps of a villain like him. She breathed his name the instant she aw him, "_Tai lung._" She clenched her fists and walked into a more open area, eyeing him all the same. "Your appearance," Just like Shen had been, the leopard looks almost _decayed_, his clothes torn and his eyes blank. "I take it you're the lizard's puppet, then? I doubt you'll talk either." She lowered into a defensive stance, bringing one arm to her side and the other infront of her.

Tai lung leaned forward, his muscles loose. Tigress narrowed her eyes, recognizing the gesture. He was going to attack.

He launched into action. Tigress barely twisted out of the way before attacking herself, digging her fist into his cheek. Her eyes widened when he barely budged, instead his blank eyes swiveling to stare at her. His paw latched onto her arm, squeezing her wrist. Quickly, she swung upwards with her other fist, uppercutting his jaw and throwing his head back. She jumped up and slammed both of her feet into his chest, throwing them both back.

Tigress landed on all fours, immediately springing into a backflip as Tai lung's fist slammed into the ground where she had been. She grit her teeth, landing only a few feet away. Wearily she stood to her feet as Tai lung's head twitched to her. He dashed forward, throwing punch after punch. Tigress twisted her body, dodging one and blocking the next. He pushed her back, forcing her to take step after step backwards.

_Still, _She ducked under his next strike and rolled to the side. _After all this time, _She sprung forward, slamming two fists into his side, throwing him back slightly. _I'm still no match. _She took a deep breath and her eyes glowed a dim gold. Her paws flashed gold and her veins throbbed with energy. A wisp of golden smoke rose from her fur before being thrust into the wind. She reeled her fist back as Tai lung jumped at her. "Enough." She punched him in the shoulder, stopping him dead in his tracks. Several pulses of golden chi spread throughout his body. She didn't relent, throwing several more attacks. With each connect, several pulses of chi raced over his body, until his body slumped slightly.

Tigress breathed deeply, calming her beating heart. She pulled back her first, readying for a final attack. Chi surrounded her arm like fire, lashing around her fist violently against the air. She twisted her fist and brought it back just a bit further. She watched the body for any sign of consciousness, not finding any. _Just a slave. _She threw her fist forward, the flames turning hot against her arm.

Tai lung caught her fist and the flame coating her arm dispersed into the air. Blue energy rippled along her fist, emanating from Tai lung's grasp. She hissed in pain before going wide-eyed. "I . . . felt that?" Tai lung raised his head, his pupils now a burned red. Before she could say anything, let go of her fist and punched her in the chest with his own, throwing her back.

Tigress tumbled against the ground before springing to her feet once again. She shook her paw, still in a bit of pain. "Shen didn't do this . . ." She sprinted forward, running on all fours and lunging at the last second, swiping with her claws. The leopard easily dodged and launched his own attack, nailing Tigress is in the stomach. It took every fiber of her will to not double over to cough and gag. Instead, she punched at his head, missing as the tilted his head out of the way. He pushed her back and punched her in the face. She reeled back, staggering to regain her footing, the one punch all it taking to disorinate her.

He punched her in the chest, sending her crashing into a wall. She bounced off the wall, her back flaring up in pain, and then she was slammed back into with Tai lung's claws around her neck. He lifted her up, dragging her back up against the wall. She dug her claws into his arms. "What the _hell_?!"

Tigress slammed her leg into his side. His grip around her neck loosened, but not enough for her to slither out of his grasp. _What was with the red eyes? _There was a battle cry off to the side and then Monkey's foot slammed into the side of Tai lung's head, throwing him off her. She fell to the ground, landing on all fours and Monkey slid across the ground next to Tai lung. The ape lunged at the leopard, but Tai lung backhanded him, throwing him across the ground.

Monkey slid on all fours, kicking up dust as he came to a stop. He shook his head a bit, regaining his focus. "And I thought Shifu said they weren't undead . . ."

Tai lung had stopped moving, only staring at the two. Tigress eyed him, but spoke to Monkey, "They aren't. But, I'm just as curious as you."

He looked at here for a second before turning back to the leopard. "You're just a lost as me? That's no good."

"It doesn't matter. We fight."

"Obviously." Monkey watched Tai lung take a step forward, "If we, as the five, couldn't beat Tai lung-"

"Power up. Go full strength from the start."

"Can it use chi?" Tigress shook her head and Monkey smirked, hopping back a foot. He stretched his arms, golden smoke rising from his elbows and shoulders. He then stretched his neck, his eyes glowing a dim golden color. Next were his knuckles, as he cracked them his palms glowed a vibrant gold before dimming out. He hopped from one foot to the other, his fur flashing gold around his joints. He took a deep breath and dropped back onto all fours.

Tigress lowered into a defensive stance, "Let him make the first move."

The leopard dashed forward, no faster than before. Tigress jumped back as his fist collided with the ground, cracking the pavement underneath his fist. His head snapped upwards, centering in on Tigress. Monkey smashed his legs into the side of his chest and punched him in the side of the face before jumping back.

The leopard shot his arm out, claws ready to sink into Monkey's tail. Tigress lunged forward, crouching low and uppercutting Tai lung, then twisting her body and kicking him in the stomach. He stumbled back, away from her. Monkey dashed behind him, sweeping his legs out under him and kicking him in the back of the spine before he could react.

Instead of screaming in pain or simply falling to the ground, Tai lung flipped onto all fours and kicked his leg backwards at Monkey. The master dodged the attack, but was then hit in the shoulder with the side of Tai lung's fist.

Monkey scrapped against the ground as Tigress pressed forward, again igniting her punch in flames seconds before it collided with Tai lung's face. The leopard was sent sliding across the ground face-first, just in front of an alleyway. She shook her paw off, again surprised that she could feel it.

Monkey loosened his shoulders, readying for a second bout with the creature. It wasn't until it spoke that Monkey froze, sparing a glance at Tigress who looked just as startled. Tai lung stood to his full height, turning around and facing them. His blood-red eyes and manic smile, coupled with the voice that certainly did not belong to Tai lung, let them know that he was indeed just a puppet being pulled by cosmic strings. "Very good. Never did I imagine that you _two _would be this strong. It's a _shame_, really."

Monkey furrowed his brows, "A shame?"

"Yes," His smile widened, "That I won't be fighting you in person, but _you _are not my main focus. My goal. It's a shame, but one I can live with."

Tigress snarled, "And _who_ are we speaking to?"

"You know my name, don't you? I doubt Oogway would have let that information slip."

She narrowed her eyes, "Shijie."

Monkey raised an eyebrow, "What a strange name."

His smile wavered, "At least I _have _one."

"You will be stopped!" Tigress clenched her fist and Monkey smirked, adding in a, "Yeah!"

Tai lung's face once again twisted into a grin. "Oh . . . I don't doubt it. The Dragon Warrior has gathered some _impressive _allies to fight me, but there is one thing he doesn't understand." He spread Tai lung's arms wide, "Only him- only he has my permission to finally _kill _me- to _release me_!" He lowered his arms a fraction, taking in their looks. "I want it to be with his own hands." His pupils fell on Tigress, "And not without Sacrifice."

Monkey narrowed his eyes, "Po would never-"

Tigress cut him off, holding out her arm. She glared at Tai lung. "If that's what you seek . . . then you truly don't understand Po. If he has a choice, he will _never _kill."

He grunted, "Don't I know it. Though, he has tried several times now- from a distance." His red eyes widened in excitement, "I want him to look me in the eye when he takes my life. No shortcuts and no hesitation. Just . . . _murder_." His ears twitched and before he could turn his head, a hammer came down from the darkness, slamming into Tai lung's shoulder and knocking him to the ground. He turned his head as Li Shan stepped out of the shadows holding the old Wolf Boss's hammer. "So be it." With that said, his body turned to dusk, leaving no trace that Tai lung's body had ever returned.

Mr. Ping stepped out from behind Li Shan, "Didn't know you had it in you."

Li Shan shook his head a bit, "Neither did I. Honestly thought I wouldn't hit hard enough."

Monkey hopped forward, "I told you two to stay put!"

Li shrugged, "I saw an opening."

Mr. Ping walked forward, towards Tigress. "Besides, you two looked like you were having some trouble." He looked up Tigress, "You okay, dear?"

She nodded, letting go of her chi. "I'm fine. He didn't do any real damage."

He nodded, "Right. Breathe!" He walked past her, instantly yelling at Li about his noodle shop.

The panda bounded after him, "I'm sure it's fine. Let's head to the center, yeah?"

Tigress turned, following them with her eyes. _Breathe? _"Everyone's saying that." Monkey passed her, telling her to follow and then speeding up a bit to catch up with Po's dads. She nodded to herself, following after them.

Her chest pounded.

* * *

Tai lung's eyes snapped open and he sprang into sitting position, immediately feeling his shoulder and moving his arm. That battle . . . _it felt so real. _He shook his head, slowly standing to his feet. He scanned the horizon, searching for any life. He had to refind the battlezone, to end this madness. His ears twitched and he turned around, the sky a solid blue overhead, surrounded by a penetrating layer of jade. "There!"

Shen's daggers and Kai's baldes bolted through the air, colliding into the ground as Shijie phased through them and stepped towards Po. Kai instantly pulled back his swords, sprinting forward and catching them as he neared the lizard. Po's eyes twitched from the Eye back to Shijie's face as he punched forward. His attack missed and he twisted his body and kicked towards the lizards' chest. Shijie twisted around him and Po flung his elbow backwards, nailing him in the face.

Shijie stumbled backwards, shaking his head slightly. The Eye glowed and held it up high, sending a strong gust of wind to send both Kai and Shen flying backwards.

Po loosened his shoulders, "You seemed distracted."

"No longer." The Eye glowed once more and his arm not holding the gem buffed up a bit. Po's eyes widened in confusion and then Shijie struct forward.

Po twisted his head as Shijie balled fist missed him. _Whoa! Where did that come from?! _He twisted his body and latched onto the lizard's extended arm with both his paws. Two flashes of chi ran across Shijie's arm and Po flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him back-first into the ground. Po jumped back, forming two disks of chi in his palms.

Kai slammed both his fists into the ground, shooting up rocks and dust and shaking the whole platform. The energy in Po's paws disappeared, eyes wide with surprise. The dust cleared and Kai grit his teeth and both turned around to see Shijie, with one arm limp.

Kai went to move forward, but Po grabbed his arm. "Wait." He turned his attention to Shijie, "That must've been the first actual punch you've thrown. I didn't take you for a martial artist."

The Eye glowed and his arm flashed blue. Afterward, he flexed it, seeming being able to more it once more. "I've been learning." He eyed his arm, "And you've been trying to _disable _me. _Clever_. They told me you wouldn't kill me."

"They?"

He narrowed his eyes in rage, "But, it won't work! You either take my life with your bare paws or you die!"

Po lowered into a defensive stance, "I prefer the grey area." Tai lung landed next to him, taking a deep breath before taking a step in front of Po. "Tai lung? You're awake?"

"We need a plan."

Po sighed, "Well, I might have one." He relaxed his stance and turned his head up to Kai, "It's time we used your skillset."

The yak's eyes widened, "R-really? You really want that?"

Shen stalked forward, "Don't be foolish. He'll be unstoppable— "

"We're not talking permanently. Just . . . enough to separate Shijie from the Eye." He clenched his fists, "The rest of us need to hold him down. Give Kai the time he needs." He nodded up at Kai, "You lead."

Shen sneered at Po, "If this all goes _wrong_, then be aware," Shen snapped his head forward, "_This is your mess._"

Po nodded to Tai lung and the two stepped forward. "Kai."

The yak dashed forward, swinging his swords at Shijie. The lizard smiled wide, his blood flowing. "Y'know," He didn't seem to be putting in any effort to dodging Kai's attacks. "It's funny, really. Just how much you hate Oogway." Kai's eyes widened and his swords glowed green. He lashed forward, sending a wave of energy soaring past Shijie and into the ground, cutting through the stone. "Were you ever close?"

"What do you know?!" He struck down at Shijie. The lizard seemed to teleport to the side as Kai's weapons slammed into the ground, cracking the platform underneath them. He laughed as Kai sloppily straightened up, clear rage burning in his eyes. "I _loved _him!"

Shijie laughed louder, infuriating Kai. "Oh, so long ago~"

Kai twirled his swords by the chain, "I _will _make you suffer." He threw his swords, embedding them into the ground at Shijie's feet. The chains glowed green and Kai whipped the energy laced within, causing his swords to detonate in a jade explosion.

Shijie was thrown back, sliding back on one knee. Despite his pain, his devious smile remained, clearly excited. He stood to his feet, the Eye glowing with power. Tai lung dashed towards him, slamming their heads together. The glow vanished as Shijie stumbled back. Shen rushed in, slashing his sword at the lizard who dodged the attacks. He scowled at the peacock, grabbing his wing with his free hands and throwing him to the ground.

Po and Tai lung came from opposite sides, simultaneously throwing punches, slamming into Shijie's face and stomach. He gasped for breath and Po grabbed his arm that held the Eye with both paws, glowing gold. Golden chains wrapped around his wrist and Po pulled back pulling on the chains and dragging him arm towards him.

Before he could act, Tai lung elbowed him in the back of neck, forcing him onto his knees. The leopard grabbed his other arm and pulled into the opposite direction.

The lizard snarled, "You _bastard!_" His tail rose, ready to strike. Shen's sword impaled his tail, nailing it to the ground. Shijie's eyes dilated as he screamed.

Po tugged on the chains harder as the Eye glowed. He pumped more chi into the chains, "Kai! Kai, do it now!"

Shijie snapped his head forward as Kai stepped up to him. He held out his hooves, glowing jade. "_I win._"

Shijie went rigid as the center of his body started to turn to jade. "No . . . it _can't _end like this." He tried to thrash from his restraints. "I'm not _ready! _This is not my destiny!"

"The thing about destiny," Tai lung pulled harder on his arm, "is you don't control it."

"No . . . NO!" His eyes hardened, "It _will not _end this way! I must die!"

Kai pushed his hooves closer to Shijie. "Give me a minute."

Shijie stared into his eyes, his rage piercing Kai's soul. "_You are not privileged._" The Eye of Huīchén glowed a ravenous blue, spreading it's light through Po's golden chains like an infection festering in a wound. The chains were coated in a blue light, traveling to Po's paws. The chains burst, throwing Po back and Shijie ripped his arm free.

Tai lung pulled on his arm and reached forward with his other, "The Eye!"

Shijie thrust his arm height into sky, the Eye sending out a single wave of pure energy, rapidly expanding and hitting the surrounding warriors. Shen was engulfed immediately, consumed by the energy. Tai lung and Kai put up their defences, trying to push back against it, but ultimately failing, getting consumed just as Shen did.

The wall stopped before it could ever reach Po. The lizard eyed him with excitement for a moment before realizing that the others were still moving. "Alive . . . I guess my heart just isn't in it." Tai lung and Kai wreathed in pain on the ground, shaking and twitching. He turned to Shen, who was struggling to his feet. "You, however . . ." He held the Eye towards him. "_You _I can do without."

Shen's eyes widened as his organs churned, "But m-my— " He stumbled back, his blood running cold. "my _revenge _. . ."

Shijie frowned, "You were never worthy, Shen. The others could excite me . . . but you always fell short."

Shen's eyes rolled into the back of his head briefly before he snapped them forward, "What's happening?"

"You're dying, Shen~" Shijie titled his head, "Well, soon you won't exist anymore."

Shen's body erupted into blue flames, his screams drowning out the silence of the void. Soon, all that remained was ashes of the once proud prince.

Shijie turned to Po, interest lacing his pupils. Po was breathing heavily, eyes almost . . . sad. The lizard scoffed, almost losing the smile that now tugged at his lips. "Don't tell me you feel remorse for him."

"I could've saved him." Po pushed himself up to his feet, swaying abit before regaining his stability. "It doesn't matter who he was, or what he's done, only that I failed to save him."

"You can't save everybody."

Po reeled his arm back, tightening his muscles. "No. But, I can try." Vibrant chi coated his arm.

"Oh~? What's this?" He smirked and lowered his head, "Trying _this _again? My dear panda, you must realize how _desperate _you look." Bits and pieces of chi broke off of Po's arms, starting to surround it with intertwining lines shapes. "Oh! Another construction? Well, what will it be this time." He narrowed his eyes, his smile dropping. "An arm cannon? A crossbow? How 'bout a large, pointy stick? How much distance are you going to put between us _this _time? And how much are you going to _piss me off?!_"

"Truthfully, I don't know the answers to all your questions." He narrowed his eyes, now glowing gold. "But, this is _not _ranged."

Shijie's eyes burst with glee, "Finally! You're willing to look me in the eye. Well," He raised his arm with the Eye, "I'll meet your bravado halfway." His eyes widened in shock and he sprung around, Kai looming over him. He swung his arm forward as defense as Kai punched forward with all his might.

The two clashed, sending a powerful wave of jade and blue energy careening outwards from the impact. The two pulled part and Shijie turned his hand around, staring at a cracked Eye of Huīchén. "No! The Eye!" He whipped his head at Kai, "What have you done!" He pushed it forward, throwing a burst of energy at Kai, throwing back back and tumbling to the ground.

Shijie painted loudly, that single action tiring him out.

"Hey, buddy!" Shiijie whipped around towards Po, to see the chi no longer covered his arm, but surrounded it. A fully formed arm of a dragon covered Po's arm, fist clenched and ready to strike. "I'm the Dragon Warrior."

Shijie looked down at the Eye, willing it to glow briefly before it shorted out. He looked forward, searching Po's eyes with his own. He saw _pain, grief, and anger. _What he didn't see was _hesitation. _"Yes . . ." He spread his arms wide, "Release me."

Po dashed forward, running a tired pace, but soon reaching Shijie. He punched his arm in an upward arc, digging the arm of the dragon into the bottom of the lizard's ribcage and dragging it up across his shoulder, shooting energy through Shijie's body and lifting him into the air.

Po's arm split in half from the pressure. Golden lightning shot through Shijie's body and the Eye flew from his fingertips. His eyes widened in pain and rage when it didn't kill him. His eyes fell on the panda, but Po's eyes were on the Eye, reaching his good arm out to grab it, not paying Shijie any mind. _Rage. _

Shijie's tail slammed into the side of Po's head, throwing him towards the ground. The lizard reached out for the gem, no longer excited. No more reservations. His fingers were about to wrap around it when another arm snatched it up.

Tai lung slammed his elbow into Shijie's back, throwing him into the ground. Po landed on his knees, immediately clutching his shoulder, just above his split arm. The leopard landed on his feet, clucthing the gem in his hand. Po's cautious eyes fell on him.

"Relax. I have a calm mind."

"But— "

"I know the risks. As soon as you can stand, this is yours."

Po nodded, letting a sigh escape his lips. "Why?"

The panda turned his head to Shijie, who laid across the ground with weak eyes. His physique was starting to change, making his appear much more frail and timid. Much . . . weaker. "I had to separate you from the Eye. I had to get close to do that."

"No. Why did you spare me? Why now?"

Po looked at the ground, "Because you didn't need to die." He nodded slowly, "I was so afraid for everyone back home— my parents, my friends— that I was willing to take your life. I shouldn't have done that. It's not who I am." He looked up at Tai lung, struggling to his feet. "And it shouldn't have ever been."

"Nice speech." Kai smashed his foot into Shijie's spine, causing the lizard to scream and fall unconscious. "But, after everything— "

"Step away from him!" Po grit his teeth and removed his paw from his shoulder, clenching it into a fist.

"Or what? You'll attack me?" He narrowed his eyes, "He killed _Oogway. _I promised to destroy him and I _will _keep that promise."

"It's not your choice to make."

"And it's yours?!"

"Actually, it's mine." Tai lung held the Eye forward. "Despite you're little crack, Kai, this thing is _very _functional and I have no reservations about erasing you, _Yak_." He took a menacing step forward, letting the Eye glow threateningly. "The Dragon Warrior said to step way, so _do it._"

Kai sneered at him, looked down at Shijie, and then snarled at Po. "This is a _mistake._"

Po glared, "It's mine to make."

Kai stepped away from the fallen lizard, turning around and starting to walk away. He stopped in his tracks. "When I was young I made a promise to Oogway." His voice had grown soft, almost _fond _of his older days with a younger turtle. "I promised to protect him, even in death."

Tai lung snorted, "I see you've broken that one as well."

Kai stood still for a moment, his back muscles stiff and unflinching. He continued on his way, jumping from and shaking the platform.

"Thankyou."

Tai lung's ears flattened, "I- it was nothing."

"Nothing?" Po chuckled a bit to himself and looked down at the unconscious lizard. "He looks familiar now that he's not . . ."

"Changing his appearance?"

"Feral. Now that he's normal." He turned back to the leopard, "Really, thanks. Without you, we may not have won."

"Give yourself some credit, Dragon Warrior." Tai lung smiled, "There is no way we would've come this far without you, or Shijie's hatred of you."

Po 's eyes widened, "That reminds me. He may not be dead, but I have to figure out what to do with him and my mind's drawing a blank."

* * *

Shifu took a step back, eyeing the enemies around them. They were dozens around them, crumbled and fellen. Mantis's eyes twitched around, "What just happened?"

The red panda smiled, "It seems Po has succeeded. Our foes are no more." He turned, facing in the direction of the center of the village. "Let's head back. Make sure everyone is okay."

"I'm sure the villagers are fine."

Shifu nodded. He knew they would be. "I'm worried about Tigress. Now, let's go." The two speed demons launched forward, speeding towards the direction of the village square. Around them bodies were littered. Shifu glanced around as they dashed. He couldn't see the bodies of any of the villagers. He smiled, they must've done a fine job at protection this time around. _Well done, my students._

Soon enough they reached the center of the village and Shifu smiled upon seeing the tiger still standing. He slowed into a walk, "Is anyone hurt?"

Viper slithered forward, "No, Master. Everyone is fine. It seems the attacks lessened after you left."

He nodded, giving her a small smile. He faced his daughter, "How is your chest?"

"Fine. Nothing to worry about."

He nodded, "Good." He faced Monkey, "I hope you're alright. We didn't know where you were for a few moments."

He shrugged, "I'm fine. Picked up Po's dads on my way here. Only real trouble we faced was Zombie Tai lung."

Shifu narrowed his eyes, "Zombie _what_?"

Tigress folded her arms, "Tai lung. That bastard Shijie did the same to Tai lung as he did to Shen. Brought them here to fight us. Only difference is he spoke through Tai lung."

Shifu and Mantis shared a look before the bug spoke, "Did he say anything of note?"

Tigress scoffed, "Only that he wanted Po to kill him." Shifu's eyes widened.

Monkey nodded, "It's a strange request."

"There is no way Po would ever give in," Crane set a few kids on the ground before landing himself. "Po doesn't just _kill_. He gave Shen a second chance of all people."

Tigress turned her head away, "Don't remind me." She sighed, "What if Po thought we were in danger? Do you think he would kill Shijie, then?" Her ears flattened against her skull, "He might."

Monkey raised an eyebrow, "I get the feeling you're not worried about Shijie being liberated from his body and all."

"I'm not." Her tail thrashed irritably. "But, I am worried about Po. He would never forgive himself."

Shifu lifted his head, "Seems like we won't have to wait long."

Tigress turned her head to him. "What do you mean?"

Shifu smiled, "I felt a rupture in Spirit Realm. The universe is letting me know someone is traveling between realms." He turned around, a column of golden light erupting from the ground and piercing the sky. Golden chi swirled around the column and a gust of wind made his robe sway. The light lessened and he could see the outline of a panda. "Welcome back, Dragon Warrior."

"Ugh." Po groaned as the light dissipated. "I've heard enough of that title for one day." He heard them gasp. "You're right. Enough for a week or month really."

Tigress let her arms drop, her sight focused on his own. "Po! Your arm!"

Po looked at his arm, "Yeah, I _know_. It split like a banana." He started to laugh, but quickly shut his mouth at their horror-filled gazes. In his other arm he carried an unconscious lizard. He dropped Shijie to the ground. "Guys, this is Shijie. He's . . . uh, having a rough time." They continued to stare at him, a few of their eyes twitching to the lizard. He turned to Shifu in particular, holding out his good arm, closed around a gem. "And _this _is the Eye."

Shifu's eyes widened and he rushed forward, holding out his hand. Po dropped the gem into his hands. "Po, you are a miracle."

Po chuckled, "Thanks, but the victory isn't mine alone." He smiled wide, "Tai lung says hello, Shifu." Shifu looked up at him, "I think he still hates us, but he told me he would like to see you again. In good faith and stuff."

Shifu was flabbergasted, "You worked with him?"

"And Shen. Oh! And Kai's back." He frowned, "Still a bit unsure how I feel about that one." His eyes grew sad. "Oogway . . . _lost._ He's gone."

Shifu closed his eyes, his ears lowering. After a moment he opened his eyes, sharing a sad look with Po. "We've mourned once, we can do so again." He eyed the Eye for a moment. "It's too dangerous to bring him back." He turned his gaze to the fallen lizard, "Have you thought about him?"

Po nodded, "I want to talk to him before we do anything. I'll understand if he has to go to prison . . . but, there is something wrong. I can feel it. I just don't know what it is yet."

Shifu clenched his fingers around the Eye and it glowed blue. Po's eyes widened as his previously split arm healed. He looked down as the new scars lacing his arm. "There, you're healed."

"But, the Eye— "

"That was something minor." Shifu eyed the gem, "Bringing someone back to life is a different story."

Before Po could respond he felt a presence on his back. Suddenly, he was being tackled by his friends. "Woah, guys!" Tigress smiled from distance as the rest of the students laughed. "Seriously." Po smiled, breathing decently heavy, "I'm a bit tired from my fight." They all hopped off, offering apologies. He shrugged them off. "So, everyone okay?"

Viper smiled up at him, "Everyone is fine, Po."

His smile stretched, "Good. No, that's great! Everyone's okay." He turned to his dads. He eyed the hammer Li Shan was carrying. "Did- did you two fight?"

Li shrugged, "I saw an opening."

"Well," Po scooped Mr. Ping off the ground and hugged both his parents at once. "I'm glad you two are safe."

He set Mr. Ping down and took a step back. The goose looked up at him, pointing a finger accusingly at his son. "Not like we can say the same!"

Po laughed, "Aw, come one. I had help."

Li shan shook his head, "Not sure villains count, Bud."

"Sure they do." He turned to Tigress, "They count, right? I wasn't fighting alone." She said nothing, just continues to stare at him. He turned to her completely. _Oh boy. _He walked up to her. Tenderly, he asked, "You okay?" She reached out her arm, tracing his new scar with her paw. He sighed as she did so. Slowly, he brought her into a hug. "We survived. Both of us."

She hugged him back, whispering, "I was so worried."

"So was I." Po pulled back, "Shijie said some things. I think he was just messing with me, but I go so . . . _angry._ I thought he killed someone . . . maybe you. I don't know what I would have done if he pulled his threats through."

Shifu looked down at the Eye, as if flashed blue briefly. His eyes widened and he snapped his head up, "Po!"

The panda whipped around, "What?"

Shifu stalked forward, "Calm down. Take a deep breath." He took a long, deep breath. "Like so. Don't hesitate- don't question. Just do it."

Po looked at him, confusion lacing his heart. "Okay . . ." He took a deep breath as his master suggested. Afterwards, he looked back at Shifu, "Can I ask why now?"

"As long as you keep calm. It seems you're somehow tied to the Eye as we speak." He looked back down at the gem. "It has to be the crack. Since you touched it after it's fracture your will must be tied to the gem. One wrong move and you may activate it. You must focus on being calm and collected. You have to keep your emotion in line."

Po's eyes widened, "Focus isn't one of my strongsuits."

"Agreed. And you're emotional." He turned around, looking up at the Jade Palace. "The peach tree. You've grown to have a connection with the place. Perhaps you should meditate."

"Right." Po nodded, "I guess I have no choice." He turned back to Tigress, to tell her that he'd see her later, but stopped short. She was clutching her chest. "Tigress? Are you okay?

She was breathing heavily, "I'm _fine_— " She fell backwards. Po caught her and lowered her to the ground, panic igniting in his eyes. "Thats. Not. Right." Her face twisted in agony.

Po supported her neck with one arm, "What hurts?" Her look screamed _Seriously?_ at him. He lit his free paw up with chi, pressing it over her chest. He pushed the chi down, through her fur and skin and bones. He let his chi soak into her. "Any better?" She shook her head, "Can we narrow it down?"

"Heart."

His own heart skipped a beat. He shifted his paw, centering in her heart and concentrating his chi. "How 'bout now? Any better?"

"No. It's no use."

He ignored her, setting her head onto the ground and bringing both paws up. They erupted with chi, colden fumes rising from his palms. He took a deep breath, exhausted. Before he could lower them to her chest, her paws grabbed his wrists. "Don't," She rasped, "You can't heal this."

He grit his teeth, "I can try."

She shook her head, wincing. "Don't. You'll kill yourself before you save me."

"No. That's not true." Her grip on his wrists tightened. "I- I've trained to heal. To save people. I can do it."

Her eyes grew heavy, "It's not— " He could see her shiver. "It's not your limits. It's the ability itself."

Po turned his head to Shifu, "It';s not true, right?"

Shifu's shoulders sunk, "Sorry." He looked down at Tigress for a moment before looking back up to Po, "You can't heal heart failure with chi."

Po's eyes widened, Shijie's words echoed through his skull. "_You're right . . . their deaths could affect you so much more! I could kill them in any number of ways. I can have my hoards tear them apart. I could make it so they couldn't breath. They could bleed out. Even heart failure. So, who will it be?" _He turned back to Tigress, "This can't be it . . . please. Pull through. You're strong enough. You can make it."

She smiled up at him, "Po." She breathed out his name, a mixture of bliss and pain. "Thank you."

Her paws fell off of his and to the ground, her head falling to the side and her entire body going limp. Po's lips trembled as his eyes took the sight in. Tears filled Viper's eyes and Crane took a step back, shaking his head.

Monkey felt a lump form in his throat and he spared a look at Mantis who was on his shoulder. "Tigress . . ."

Mr. Ping wrapped a wing around Shifu's shoulder, "I can't imagine what you're going through."

Li Shan sat himself on the ground next to Shifu, eyeing the red panda. "We're here for you- not just Po."

Crane stepped forward, wrapping a wing around the panda's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Po."

"I-" _Could have saved her. _"I-" _Could've ended the fight sooner. _"I just wish I had another chance."

Shifu's eyes widened in recognition. "_I just wish I had another chance."_ He turned his head to the Eye of Huīchén as it glowed with a vigorous blue energy. He snapped his head to Po, "What have you done?!"

Po turned around, shrugging of Crane's wing as soon as he saw the energy bellowing from Shifu's hand. The world cracked underneath them, "What's going on?"

Shifu was silent for a moment, wide-eyed terror. "I don't know."

The world shattered beneath Po and he fell into the void, covered in neverending darkness. He flailed his arms about hoping to grab anything. The Eye of Huīchén, it had glowed . . . in response to him? Po closed his eyes. This was his doing. Tigress flashed across his mind. "I'm . . . sorry."

He back slammed into the ground and his eyes flung open, a gasp escaping past his lips. He winced in pain, "Ow. What the— " he sat up, looking across the walls and ceiling. He was in his old room. In fact, everything seemed . . . _ancient. _All of his stuff was in here- none of the little trankets he had collected over the years, however. He distinctly remembered emptying out the room to allow Li Shan to move in when he came to the Valley.

"Po! Get up!"

He turned his head, looking down the stairs. "But, I . . ." He turned his eyes to the windowsill, staring at his old action figure. He pushed himself to his feet, walking over to them. He picked up the Tigress one and examined it. "I gave these away a long time ago." His adventures flashed through his mind, "Wait was that all a," He eyes fell onto his arm, a long scar tracing up to his shoulder. "Dream. No, it wasn't." He looked at his room, "What's going on?"


	2. 1

He clenched his fist, staring at the large scar trailing down his arm. _That all happened? Every second. _He turned his head upwards, looking across the ceiling and then the wall. His heart pounded against his chest. _What is happening?_ He was taking deep breaths now— that is, until he saw his neighbor from across the alleyway staring at him with concern. Quickly, he offered an uneasy smile and retreated back into his room.

He clutched his head. This was not happening! Everything was so different than he remembered. He was back in his old room, with everything the way it had been _years _ago. Yet, his body remained the same. He clenched his fist and punched forward. _Yep, definitely the same._

He took a deep breath, calming himself. Perhaps nothing had changed, maybe he had just fainted? Po closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking. _Concentrate. Focus, Po! _He took another deep breath, stretching out his senses. Below him, he could feel his father, energy upbeat, yet hardened. Po shook his head, stretching out the ability to sense chi.

Shifu and the furious five, energies tight and far weaker than he remembered. He would have pushed it off as being tired from training if he didn't see Tigress die with his own eyes. And that energy he felt, even weaker, he could tell it was her. He bit his tongue, holding back tears.

He was so confused. _What was going on? _His eyes widened. The Eye of Huīchén had glowed in response to his words. Po echoed the words, "I just wish I had another chance." His gaze hardened, self-hatred bubbling to the surface. "Just _had _to say that, Po. Couldn't have just wished her back or just keep your _damn _mouth shut." His clenched fists shook, "This is all _my _doing."

"Po! What are you saying up there?"

"Nothing!" Po eyed the stairs down to the kitchen. He took a deep breath, _Guess there is only one way to find out for sure if I'm really back in time. _He walked down the stairs, eyes laying on the goose, "Sorry, Dad."

Mr. Ping was scooping out bowls of noodles. The goose sent a side glance at his son, "Is everything alright, Po? You usually make more noise when you wake up. I barely heard the wood creak."

"Oh." Po walked over and Mr. Ping moved out of the way to let Po take over, moving on to chop vegetables for the next batch. Po had gotten lighter on his feet over the years, along with losing weight. Perhaps, he had been sent back in time. Still, he had to make sure. "I was just . . . _dreaming_." His eyes narrowed. A radish basket was tucked under the counter. The one Ping had found Po in. He forgot that was there. He shook his head slightly, tearing his gaze away from it as he scooped some soup into a bowl and handed it off to a customer.

smiled, "Really? Must've been some dream, what was it about?" It was a normal curiously and Po knew this, but he lied about it being a noodle dream before. If things really were the same, perhaps his father would react in the same way. Po hesiated just a bit, lying to his father didn't feel right before, nor would it now.

"Noodles."

Mr. Ping gasped, "Noodles? Really?"

"Yeah. What else would I dream about?" He bit his lip at the deafening silence.

That was until his father started to dance around, rambling about how Po had the 'Noodle Dream'. Po, however, felt a heavy burden on his shoulders with the prospect. It was true. He had wished on the Eye. Po found himself asking about his dad's old dreams. _Tofu. _His dad had wanted to open a Tofu establishment when he was younger.

He eyed the scar on his arm, not to mention the others he had obtained as well. The one on his stomach from Shen's cannons— he even had a few small ones hiding under the fur on his face. He wondered, why didn't his father mention them yet? His father always berated him for any new injuries. "Hey, Dad?"

The goose still hummed to himself, "Yes, Po?"

"I think I got a scar."

"Really?" He walked over to Po, "Where?"

Po stared at him with confusions, a dumbfounded look on his face. "You . . . didn't notice?" His dad only glared at him, so Po held his arm forward.

Mr. Ping took Po's arm, examining his paw, flipping over his arm a few times. "I don't see anything, must be small. Did you cut yourself on a knife?"

Po looked at his arm for a few seconds before answering, "Must've."

Soon, he found himself bringing orders to the customers at the tables. It had been a long time since he had done this with his father. He found himself too distracted to enjoy it. Too caught up in the nation that he destroyed everything and rewound time and that his own father couldn't see his scars. The gong caught his attention as a servant of the Jade Palace placed a poster— a familiar one.

They were choosing the Dragon Warrior! He brought the rest of the soup to the customers before turning to the poster. He smiled as he walked up to it. "I can't believe it. I'm actually getting a bit excited." It didn't take long for most of the people to file out, ready to watch the spectacle.

"Precisely!" Po turned his head, looking at his dad. "Think of all the hungry customers! Everyone will be there to see the Dragon Warrior. We need to be there— " He gasped, smiling wide. "Your _dream_. I think you're ready for the Noodle Cart."

Po rolled his eyes as his dad disappeared. He turned back to the poster, from here on out everything would be the same, including— _Tai lung_! His mouth ran dry. Tai lung would escape from prison. People would get hurt, possibly even die. He looked up at the Jade Palace. He hadn't really thought about the events leading up to his battle with Shijie. He would have to keep everything the same. No screw ups or slips of the tongue. A daunting task for Po.

Once again, he closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He listened as the universe whispered to him. _Oogway. _He could feel the turtles presence immediately. It was strange, feeling the old master. He never really had felt Oogway when he was _alive._

He shifted his senses, feeling outwards in a different direction, towards Chorh-Gom. _Tai lung. _It was strange, he felt . . . different than Po thought he would. Stronger than he had expected. He frowned, if Tai lung was always this strong then how did he defeat him before? This time around he may need to use inner peace or even chi.

He cupped his paws together, slowly pulling them apart, a small orb of chi forming in between his palms. His chi swirled in front of his eyes, golden smoke rising from its surface. _No. _He narrowed his eyes. _I don't need this. I didn't need chi before to fight Tai lung and I don't need it now. _

A cart raddled behind him and he whipped around, startled. His chi dispersed as he stared at the noodle cart. His first thought was how his dad managed to get it all together so fast before he put on a fake smile. His dad rambled on about how the entire valley would be there and giving Po the chance to sell them noodles. Po's thoughts fell to the stairs and how it would be literally impossible to take the cart up there, but he chose not to say anything.

If he wanted to become the Dragon Warrior then he would have to go with the flow and recite every action he took in the past- that was if he could remember everything he did. He nodded to his dad before scolding himself. Carelessly, he mentioned the bean buns, about to go bad. _This was going to be harder than he thought._

* * *

"It is an historic day, isn't it, Master Oogway?"

Oogway nodded slowly, deep in thought. That small speck of energy he sensed, a small burst of chi being activated, had caught his attention. Had his mind not been clear he would have missed it. Chi itself was an incredibly rare technique. Not even Shifu knew how to manipulate it correctly yet. And yet, he felt it. A brief flicker of life, before being snuffed out abruptly. A villager, no doubt. They could use chi, but only himself, Kai, and the village from centuries ago knew the practise. In fact, he had never sensed chi in the valley before. Could it be a visitor? His eyes widened, _he made a mistake. _The furious five had no chance to become the Dragon Warrior, this unknown villager would inherit that title.

Still, how would he tell Shifu and his students. Would he just let things continue or would he search the village for this chi user? He shook his head, bring his claws up to rest on his forehead. No, he would continue. The Dragon Warrior would show themself.

"Master Oogway?"

Oogway let his arm drop, "Sorry, my friend, I was just thinking." He turned to Shifu, "Whomever I pick, Shifu, will bring peace to the Valley." He looked into Shifu's eyes, "Not only that, but they will also bring peace to you." He smiled and gestured his hand forward, "Now then, would you like to do the honors?"

* * *

Po had ditched the noodle cart a while ago. He had made a real effort to carry it up the stairs, but it was near impossible. He vaguely remembered doing the same before. His goal was to make sure the events he remembered as close to the past as possible. That meant waiting for the right time to begin his a_scent_. He had already prepared the chair by the time it was Tigress's turn to show off her skills. Still, he had to wait a bit longer, until his dad showed up to actually light the fuse.

He had forgone the shenanigans he had originally gone through, instead opting to sit still and wait. He closed his eyes as he sat in the chair, tuning his ears to the noise around. He was waiting for the quiet feet of his father. A very distinct sound. There wasn't one quite like it. His ears twitched and his mouth twitched into a smile. _Now. _He lit the fireworks, watching as his dad climbed the stairs.

"Po!" The goose rushed forward, fear coating his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" _Sitting in a chair made of fireworks about to launch into the sky to enter a stadium full of people watching the furious five. _It was a bit long-winded, if you asked him. "I have to get in there! To watch . . . and stuff." He frowned, he didn't _really _remember exactly what he said before.

Mr. Ping rushed forward, desperately trying to blow out the fireworks. Quickly, Po pushed him back, causing the goose to stumble for a few steps before regaining his footing. Momentary, he was surprised at how strong Po was, but he refocused his concerns. "I-I don't understand! You had _the _dream."

"I lied!" _Multiple times, really. _"I've never dreamed about noodles— well, exclusively. Sometimes I get hungry . . . look, Dad, I have to get in there." He was still trying to remember what he ultimately said to his father.

Mr. Ping, again, took a step forward. "And why is it so important that you do?!"

That was new. He was positive that his father never asked that question before. He tried to think of what to say, but instead his thoughts fell back to the threats he had faced and bested. Tai lung. Shen and his army. Kai and his jade horrors. Shijie. They all burned fresh in his mind.

Mr. Ping sighed, seeing pain and fear flash through Po's eyes. "Po . . . what did you dream about? What did you see?"

Po tensed up, looking down at his father. _He saw my eyes. _"I . . ." _Dream? _His shoulders sunk. He couldn't tell him of any dream, but . . . he was already diverging off course anyways, perhaps he could tell his father, even if just a little. "People will get hurt."

Po immediately scolded himself for letting himself differ from the original path. He should have let himself fall into dramatics from the start, but instead his tone was far more serious than it should have been. He cast his gaze down to the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, Po." Mr. Ping took a step forward, "I— " They both froze as the fireworks ignited. "Oh! Po!" Mr. Ping rushed forward.

Po stuck his arm out, "Stand back, it's not safe!" _No, no, no. It's not supposed to be like this. He turned his head up. _Not straight up! _That's not how it's supposed to be! _The fireworks exploded in the chair launched into the air. Po's grip on the chair tightened, watching as he soared higher and higher. _He was going too high._

Po narrowed his eyes. He should have wasted a good portion of the trip by having the rocket chair point towards the wall. Instead, it went much higher than it needed to. He let out a deep breath, golden mist flowing from his lips. He carefully stood up in the chair, careful not to fall off. _I won't leave it to chance this time. _He grit his teeth, his eyes shining a deep golden color. With the height he was at now, this fall _would _kill him.

So, he was doing the only thing he could think of without showing to the others that he could manipulate chi. He would heal his body in the instant it connected with the ground.

Not his best plan.

* * *

Oogway silently watched as the furious five displayed their skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Shifu had done a fine job with training them and hge dreaded to see their fallen faces when none of them would be chosen as the fabled warrior of legend.

He stole a glance over at Shifu without the red panda noticing. His old student wasn't watching as intensely as he was, instead he seemed tense, almost _afraid_. Oogway sighed, "Tai lung isn't here yet, my friend. There is no need to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid, Master."

"There is no use in hiding it, Shifu. Fear is natural." He smiled, "And trust me, Shifu, it is one emotion I am very _intimate _with."

"Master?"

"In our line of work, fear is an emotion almost as common as happiness or satisfaction. To push a feeling aside, is to cause disaster and ache."

Shifu straightened his back, keeping his eyes on his students. "Fear is a weakness."

Oogway shook his head, "And, yet, it could aid you in battle. It's an indicator, Shifu. When things go wrong, or when your life is in danger, _fear _lets you know. We're not talking about it overtaking you, my friend, but you _burying _it, along with other emotions."

"Is this really the time?"

Oogway shrugged, "I don't know. But when is the right time, Shifu?" He sighed, looking down at Tigress. "Young Tigress . . . I'm sure you don't need me to say it. For a lack of better term, you've _buried _her along with your own emotions and feelings. What does that do to a child, Shifu? _Your _child."

Shifu turned his head away, instead opting to scan the crowd. "She did not need the distraction."

Oogway sadly shook his head at Shifu. _Or you didn't need another Tai lung. _He looked back at Tigress before low murmur caught his attention. He tilted his head to the wind, a soft whisper brushed up against him. Softely, he whispered, "He's here."

"What was that, Master Oogway?"

The old turtle looked over at his old student, "I . . . am ready, Shifu. I can feel it. The Dragon Warrior is among us."

Shifu's eyes widened, "Right." He nodded to his students and Tigress, who was demonstrating her skill, stopped and stood still, waiting for the others to line up next to her.

Oogway watched intently, each of the five had prepared for this day, but none wanted the title more than Tigress. Though, sadly none of them would be happy with the outcome— at least, not at first. He smiled at the thought. Finally, someone would be able to take his place.

He closed his eyes, walking down the steps. Every motion, every step he took was guided. A soft whisper in his ear, a small tug on his limbs, the universe guided him. He waved his finger about,the whispering getting louder and louder as he approached the five. He could feel it, he was about to—

He stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes opened in shock, his finger dropping and his mouth opening slightly. Slowly, he titled his head upwards, just in times to see fireworks go off. He had no doubt the other's had looked up as well, but they couldn't _feel _what he could. He took a step back, at first not knowing how to process it, but he could feel it.

The Dragon Warrior's chi. He was astonished— amazed! To think that amount of chi had been _hiding _from him this whole time was . . . incredible. To think such skill existed. On the other hand, he was disappointed in himself. He should've known by now that someone with that

amount of power lived amongst his village.

That mount of chi wasn't larger than his, and even Shifu rivaled this newcomers chi, even at his current level. However, it took so much skill, _too much_, to be able to hide it from someone as learned as Oogway. He was impressed.

And a bit concerned when the black and white mass slammed into the ground in front of him. He heard someone shout out his name, but Oogway only stared down at the fallen figure. He blinked, not once, but _twice. They weren't moving. _

Worry clogged his throat. He took a step closer, even as Shifu yelled for him to back away. He held his hand over the figure, ready to heal as quick as he could. That was— until he saw a whiff of golden smoke. Slowly, he drew his hand back, now knowing he was unneeded.

Oogway watched as the panda, breathed out golden smoke. _Panda? _Oogway smiled. _A panda! _He must've been from that old village where he fought Kai. Oogway suddenly found himself in a good mood. Of course the panda knew chi, he _was _a panda, afterall. Chi was their birthright.

In fact, the last time he was a panda was— _before Shen._ He suddenly felt his mood

plummet. What if the panda was from that village? The one _he _failed to protect? Could there even have been any survivors?

He snapped to attention as the panda pushed himself up, hoarsely coughing. He was facing Oogway, so the others didn't see the golden shine in his eyes before it disappeared. Once on his feet, Oogway examined him. He was . . . exhausted, to say the least. If Oogway's assumption was correct, than the panda had just literally revived himself from death. No small feat. _How exciting. _

The panda's eyes turned fearful when his sight landed on Oogway. The turtle himself didn't show it, but this caught him off guard, instead he kept a passive face. Fear was _crawling _inside him, as well. He didn't know why, but for some reason he didn't see the boy's scars before. Some of them— _how _ does one even get a scar like that?!

He was startled when the panda scuttled to the side, "Sorry. Sorry! I-I didn't mean to get so close— I mean in the way!" He definitely sounded frightened. "I just wanted to see the Dragon Warrior."

"Right." Oogway turned his head to Shifu as the red panda spoke. "Aren't we all. Master Oogway, you were about to pick someone. If I saw correctly, were you . . ." Shifu bit his tongue, he did not want to make assumptions.

Tigress stepped forward, "Master . . . were you going to pick me?"

Oogway hadn't seen her eyes so hold so much joy in years. It hurt to squash it. Instead, he pointed at the panda, "Him."

"What?" Despite the panda's exclaim in alarm and confusion, that was mimicked by Shifu, he saw the panda's eyes. He was not surprised, not in the slightest. In fact, he only looked _tired. _Oogway mused, _How curious._


	3. 2

**Author Note::**

**There is no excuse for being away from this project for as long as I have been. And I apologize for that, for those that enjoyed this story's premise. When I originally wrote the prologue and the first chapter, it burnt me out on writing, not only in fanfiction but in general. I haven't written anything substantial in a long time. When I started writing again, I just didn't want to write **_**this**_**. I stayed away for a long time, but I eventually came back. I've written the first part of this chapter multiple times, never liking how it came out. Even now, I'm not satisfied. That will show, I'm sure of it. **

**I plan on writing another chapter or two to see if I can find my drive for this premise again, but I can't promise that this story will continue past that. I'm sorry for those that liked this story.**

**~Mining300**

Po was ready to yank the fur from his skull. _That was not how things were supposed to go. _ Everything had been _perfect _until Shijie had shown up. He had friends, a larger family then he could have ever dreamed, and a special someone whom had claimed his heart. Someone he had _failed _to save.

His shoulders shook and his fingers twitched. It had been his words. _His. _He alone was responsible for the future being destroyed. Every person that suffered or died because of that would weigh down on him. He would take the sole blame.

He had stopped in front of each artifact he passed, trying in vain to swell his excitement and gush about its history and cultural importance. He had done it before, but this time his words were stiff and cold.

It hadn't hit him before, not really. The thought weighed down on his mind, tugging on his soul. This moment of silence was the first time he got a moment to think properly without rushing to secure the timeline and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. His mind wouldn't stop thinking about what he had _done_.

He needed a distraction.

The Urn of Whispering Warriors remained unbroken as he followed Shifu into the training hall. By the time they had left the Hall of Heroes, Shifu was a steaming mess. Po hadn't realized how angry he had to make Shifu to put him into the Wuxi Finger Hold. _Another conversation off course. _Though, Shifu _had _threatened him. So, at least something was happening the way it should.

Shifu pushed open the doors into the training hall, anger radiating from his small presence. Po wasn't sure if he was just as angry or if he was even _angrier _than he had been before. Angry was good, but even Shifu had a limit to his anger before he snapped.

Po's finger twitched. He did not want to see Shifu snap.

He snapped his head up, twisting his body out of the way as a chunk of wood flew by his head. He pursed his lips and held back the clenching of his teeth and fists. He had not _intended _to dodge that. In fact, he hadn't even thought of that little chunk. He turned his head back forward, seeing Tigress stand to full height, her facial expression not shifting from stoic annoyance.

_Little things. _He had to remember the little things. He _couldn't _keep slipping up like this. "Panda." Po turned his head down to Shifu, wiping his own frown from his face before the red panda could see it. "Let's begin."

"Now?"

"Yes, _now. _Unless you think the Great Oogway was _wrong_, and you are not the Dragon Warrior."

Po laughed nervously. He couldn't let anyone see his skill. He took a deep breath. Not a single slip up. "I don't know if I could do all that." He remembered this event, this _day._ The embarrassment was hard to forget. He scratched the back of his neck, following Shifu as he walked along the training hall. Though, he was having a hard time remembering what he had said specifically.

Shifu chuckled. Po could imagine the grin spreading across his face. "Well, we'll never know if you don't try."

"Um," Po glanced back at the training equipment. Just remembering the pain he had felt that day caused him to wince. Still, he had a script to keep to. "Perhaps we could start closer to my level."

"Your level? And what would that be?"

"Level Zero." He was already looking at the dummy. He narrowed his eyes. Was that how he phrased that? "Something closer to that."

"Zero?" Shifu scoffed, "There is no such thing." He followed Po's eyes to see what he was looking at. "That? We use that for training children and propping the door open when it's hot. But, if you insist."

The Furious Five gathered behind Shifu, a mix of curiosity and silent anger soaking their aura. "The Furious Five!" He pointed at his chest and smiled, "Big fan."

Shifu rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, Panda. Show us what you can do."

He feigned surprise. "Um, should I wait for them to get back to work or— "

"Hit it." He could tell Shifu's patience was wearing thin. Po turned to the dummy, the sinking feeling in his gut that he had forgotten something grew stronger. But, he couldn't think of what it was. Reluctantly, he lightly punched it, causing it to rock back and forth. He had to move on. He didn't want his actions to seem unnatural or even choreographed. "A bit harder."

He took a deep breath, reeling back his fist into position. He remembered what he said next. He slammed his fist into the dummy, sending it crashing into the wall, "How's that?" He proclaimed loudly before it sprung back and slammed into him.

A small smile slipped onto his face as he was sent flying into the training course. _Finally! Something went according to plan! _He let himself get batted around by the equipment, overly dramatising his pain. He could hear a few members of the furious five gasp. _Ha! _He thought, _Something happening the way it should! _

He could taste blood as the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors smashed into his cheek. His head snapped to the side and before he could stop himself, his arm flew up, blocking another strike from snapping his head back into position.

_No . . ._

Another wooden arm slammed into his back, sending him stumbling forward into the Field of Fiery Death. He looked down. To anyone else it would have looked as if he was afraid of what was going to happen next, but Po could only think of his slip up as fire raged upwards.

Even the pain seemed to be muted.

Po fell against the wooden floor, fear icing his heart. He tilted his head to see Shifu and the five walking up. He clenched his fists on the ground.

He had to know. Did Shifu see that? "How— how did I do?" He waited for Shifu to respond, fear that he had failed already.

Shifu reached over and pinch some hair on the top of lis head, putting out a small flame. "There is now a level zero." Inside, Po smiled.

* * *

It was getting dark before Shifu and the Furious time decided it was best to head to their sleeping quarters. Shifu had seemed content after Po's embarrassing display. He let Po sit off to the side most of the time, as he had before, barely sparing him a glance. Occasionally, Shifu would head over and give verbal instructions that was expected for the future. Po knew Shifu was trying to scare him out of the Jade Palace by promising to shove him head first into the lifestyle. Shifu hoped to overwhelm him.

The panda pretended to nurse his wounds, but it was all surface, just a show. Po had already healed his burn wounds, his fur was the only thing still burnt. It still gave the illusion he was hurt. He spent most of his time, watching the Furious Five's exercise routine as Shifu had instructed. The Red Panda's face twisted in anger once he realized Po was going to stay after suffering through the training course.

Shifu had left first, telling everyone else to head in for the night after finishing their exercises. A half an hour ticked by before the others decided to leave as well, exiting as a group. Po was sure Tigress shot him a dirty look before leaving.

As soon as he couldn't hear their footsteps or their chatter, he stood to his feet. He made his way back over to the training course. He stood in front of the gauntlet of the wooden warriors. He had steam to blow off. He reeled back his fist, punching the wooden contraption. It spun around he raised his arm to block it.

He attacked again. And _again. _Each strike becoming faster and stronger. Each thought coursing through his mind fueling his ferocity. Darkness surrounded him and rage filled his heart. _He _failed. _He _couldn't stop Shijie in time. _He _didn't listen to Shifu. _He _made his wish, sending himself back in time. _He _let Tigress die.

Po's fist went right through the dummy. _Oh, crap._ He tried pulling his fist out of the machine, instead snapping the machine right off its hinges. "Oh," He used his other arm to rip it off, "That's not good. That's going to be missed." His ears perked up as he heard doors creek open. He whipped around and dropped the dummy to the ground, "Tigress!"

The feline stalked forward, aggressively stomping forward with her eyes set on him. She narrowed her eyes, "I _knew it._" He could hear the venom coating her voice. He messed up _again. _How much did she see? "I _knew _it! You were holding back."

Po took a step back, "What?"

She walked over to the fallen machine, forcing him to take a few steps back. "I saw your reflexes, you blocked a hit earlier today. Did you think no one noticed? That we were blind_?_" She kicked it across the ground and turned to him, briskly walking up to him. Po could swear their muzzles were almost touching. When she spoke, he could feel her breath. "Why lie?"

_Crap. _There was no way he could get out of this without setting her off. He complimented the space between them, and the anger lacing her eyes. Well, without making her _angrier._

He ran out of time, though. Tigress was impatient and angry. Her eyes trailed down his body sending a shiver ran up his spine, he wasn't liking this one bit. Finally, she said, "Let's fight."

"What?!" Po took a couple steps back, putting some distance between him and the tiger. "I can't fight you!" _Where had this come from? _Quick, he had to think of a way out of this. "You're _Master Tigress_, I— I don't know any Kung Fu! You're going to rip me to shreds."

"You just destroyed a piece of equipment."

"I— well . . . " He looked off to the side, trying to think of something to tell her, but he couldn't think of anything. Nothing that wouldn't escalate this conflict. "Listen, I _can't _fight you."

She scoffed, "Shifu and the rest of the Five may be fooled, but I'm not letting that slip go." She folded her arms across her chest. "I know you're holding back and I want to see just how capable you are."

Had he failed already? He fidgeted, trying his best to come up with a response, but his mind drew a blank. Afterall, he never was the best liar. The realization sank in. He was doomed. "I— "

"And I want to know about your scars."

He froze. Whatever nonsense he was about to spit out vacated his mind immediately. "My . . . scars?"

That only made her angrier. "Yes. Your _scars._" She placed her paws on her hips. "I don't know how you did it, but you hid them from us. It seems noone else, not even Shifu can see them. He would have said something otherwise."

Po uneasily shifted, "But, you can?"

"Ever since your . . . _display_. What I want to know is how you were able to hid them and I must admit, I am curious about the scar on your arm." _Shijie, _his mind whispered. "That one must have been brutal."

"You have no idea." He shouldn't have said that. "Don't you think that information is a bit . . . personal?"

"No." He winced. "The origins of the scars, maybe, but how you hid them from us? No." He didn't even know how they couldn't see them. She wanted an answer he couldn't provide. _Great. _"Now, start talking or I'll beat it out of you."

Man, she was violent. He liked it better when it wasn't directed at him. _Quick, Po! Think of something. _"A wager." _What? _What had his mouth just said? Tigress motioned for him to continue, interested. "We'll fight," What was he signing himself up for? Not that he could back down now and it seemed she was going to try and fight him anyways. "If I win, then I get to keep my secrets and you can't tell anyone what you know."

"And If I win, I not only want to know how you hid your scars and what they're from, but I want to know who taught you Kung Fu as well."

_Uh oh. _"Fine." It was not fine. If Tigress won, then she would know everything. Po would be at her mercy. "But, we need some rules. No injuries and definitely nothing that could prove fatal." Those guidelines were more for himself than her. Even when angry, Tigress had breathtaking control. Po, however could still remember his fight with Shijie. He had tried to kill the lizard.

He would not betray his morals like that again.

He would not use chi. He would have to see if he had surpassed the younger Tigress.

"If you're afraid of my claws or teeth, then you should know I have better control then to rely on them in battle." She lowered into an offensive stance, showing him that she was ready to fight. "I'm no monster."

Po's eyes widened. He could see new fire burning in her eyes. She had been reminded of her days at the orphanage, where the other children were scared of her because of her claws and teeth. _He _had reminded her of it. "I never said you were."

"Stance, Panda."

He complied, lowering into his own stance. "I'm ready."

Tigress pounced forward, throwing several punches at him. Po dodged the first and then blocked the second and third.

Po narrowed his eyes. What was she doing? Tigress favored open palm strikes, but here she was attacking with closed fists. He pushed forward, throwing her off balance. He punched forward and her body curved under his strike. He noted how she didn't take the chance to grab his overextended arm, he knew she could throw him over her shoulder, or even kick out in an attempt to stagger him.

Po pulled his arm back, entering a defensive stance and inching away from her. Tigress once again rushed forward, throwing punch after punch, but seemingly refusing to to use her superior agility or attack as she normally would and Po knew why.

He really shouldn't have said anything.

Tigress broke through his defenses with an uppercut and spin-kicked him, overextending as to make sure her foot was nowhere near the side of his stomach. Po grabbed her leg, twisted his body, and threw her behind him.

"Enough." She was hindering herself in battle. All to make a point. "You can't win like this."

She stood to her feet, dusting herself off. "You don't want me to win."

Po sighed, "C'mon, Tigress. This isn't how you spar. You're training as if there are children present."

She scoffed, "Don't presume to know me, Panda." Her gaze softened, "It's true, though." She raised her and looked at her paw, "When I train with children or demonstrate for them, I have to be careful. More so than I usually am, so I don't cut or make them fear me."

"So you change your style and overextend your body in an attempt to never show them a glimpse of a claw."

"Correct." She lowered her paw and looked into his eyes, "I thought you were afraid of me, despite how you acted earlier, claiming to be a fan."

Po shook his head, "I'm not afraid of you."

"Then why the one rule? Were you not referencing my claws?"

"The rule wasn't just for you." Po pointed to himself, "You can see my scars. I've had to fight viciously before. The rule is as much a guideline for me as it is for you. I never meant to— "

"Enough, Panda." It was time to fight.

Po rushed forward, throwing a punch at Tigress's chest, but she twisted out of the way. Instantly, she lashed out, kicking him in the stomach. With a grunt, Po stumbled back, only regaining his footing as Tigress pounced onto him, slamming him into the ground. She locked one of his arms in place by placing her knee on his forearm and her paw on his shoulder. "At least try and impress me, Panda."

Po smiled, losing himself in the moment. Using his free arm and a bit of chi, he raised himself up into the air, kicking her in the side of her stomach and slamming her into the ground, holding down her neck with his forearm. Her shock snapped him out of his daze and he instantly pushed his chi further down. _This is not the same Tigress. _He lost his smile, "How's that?"

She grunted before punching him in the face. His head snapped to the side. Quickly, she rolled to her feet and struck out, slamming two open fists into the stomach.

Po slid back, his instincts almost casting chi to keep him from sliding back too much. He grit his teeth. No, he couldn't slip up anymore. He dug his feet into the ground, sliding to a stop. He lifted his head just in time to see Tigress pounce at him. He blocked a kick aimed downwards and flipped her back. She landed on all fours and struct forward, throwing punch after punch.

Po blocked a couple of hits before being hit in the chest. He took a step backwards, continuing to block most of the hits, but being pressured backwards. He narrowly twisted his head out of the way of her strike and ducked under her next strike. He launched forward, ramming her body with his shoulder.

Tigress hit the ground, twisting on her shoulders and springing back onto her feet. With a heavy breath, she punched forward just as Po did the same. Their fists clashed. The two stood still for a couple of seconds before Po retracted his arm, shaking his hand lightly.

Tigress raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what I was expecting, but you seem to be keeping pace well."

Po noticed an edge to her voice. Hesitantly, he responded, "Thanks."

She placed her hands on her hips, "I'm taking you seriously, Panda. Is it too much to ask for the same?"

Po closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At this point, he knew lying to her would be in vain. Tigress always knew when he was lying. Even one that didn't know him. "I've . . . always been an easy book to read." He opened his eyes and sighed, "I've never been good at keeping secrets."

She scoffed, "I can tell."

"Tigress." He chuckled a bit to himself, "Look. Everything that has happened in this room . . . If I win it has to stay between us. No one can know."

"I'm good to my word, Panda."

Po nodded, "I know."

The panda closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He dug deep inside, searching for his harmony and peace, but it squirmed away from him. It twisted in his grasp, causing turmoil and dissent. He clasped his mind around it, forcing it to bubble at the surface. His eyes opened, now a faded green.

His body ached and he caught his breath, finding it hard to breath. Something was wrong with his inner peace.

Po held onto it, forcing his senses into overdrive.

"Your eyes . . ." Tigress stared at him for a few seconds, as if she was trying to place what exactly Po had just done. She dashed forward and Po wasn't sure if she had figured out what he was doing or not.

With his heightened senses and his knowledge of Tigress's fighting technique, he could almost _feel _what Tigress was going to do before she did. When she attacked, he twisted his body of the way. The tiger turned and continued her assault. Po simply dodged all of her strikes, ducking, twisting, and titling his body to stay untouched. Tigress's eyes widened and she twisted her own body, sending a high kick for his keck. Po's arm shot up and her grabbed her leg. "Inner Peace," Tigress was astonished, "That's Inner Peace."

Po let go of her leg and she retracted, hopping a few times on one foot to gain some set her other foot down slowly, eyeing him. "There's only two ways to achieve inner peace. Meditating for years without much substance." She eyed his stomach, "Somehow I don't think that's how you did it."

Po smiled, "No."

She frowned, her ears flattening against her skull. "How?"

Po's shoulders sank. Her eyes were speaking a different question. _Who? _"That's . . . not part of the deal."

She nodded, but her body hang as limp as his did. They both knew the fight was over. Po took a deep breath let his Inner Peace fade, giving himself a chance to breathe, but there was a lingering pain. In his lungs, muscles, and head. He had become sore. "I will keep your secret."

Po nodded, but couldn't help but notice her eyes were seeded with a burning question. In a rare moment, the universe called out to him, telling him to answer it. He hesitated as Tigress turned around to leave. "Ask."

She turned around, a confused smile sprouting across her lips. "Not part of the deal."

Po chuckled, "I know."

She nodded, "Your family. Do they know?"

Po thought of his father, oblivious to his scars and dreams. He thought of his other father, not even knowing he was alive. He looked her in the eye. Tigress, whom he knew, but she no longer knew. His family, the three of them, all ignorant to who he was. "No. I don't think so."


	4. 3

The peach tree of heavenly wisdom was one of his favorite meditation spots. _When _he decided to meditate, he told himself. Po was in a seated position, eyes closed. He could feel the universe spin around him. He could feel the life of the valley. However, the universe itself no longer spoke to him. Each time he tried to connect with it he was pushed out, cast aside. It still granted him insight to those around him, but he could no longer hear it's _whispers._

It worried him. When he had fought against Tigress he reached out to the universe for assistance, but it coiled away from him. It _denied _him it's power and he didn't listen. Regret twisted in his gut. To avoid the truth, he betrayed the universe's trust and forced it to do his bidding.

Po sighed, trying to force himself to meditate. He wanted to reconnect with the universe. He sought guidance. He needed harmony and focus, but it was refused to him.

_Imbalance. _

Po's eyes snapped open. The word so clearly whispered into his ear that he turned around to see just _who _had stalked up to him. No one was there. The panda turned back ahead, eyes flickering in uncertainty, disbelief. He _knew _what the word meant.

"I messed up. I _destroyed _everything I spent years building." The air grew cold and he listened, but no more words were shared. "I gave into my emotions. Let them control me. I made a mistake." His paws tightened on his knees. "I . . . I just want to know _why. _Why am I being abandoned? Why did destiny lead me _here_?"

Po grit his teeth, feeling ashamed at the anger boiling in his blood. "In the last day I've done some _terrible _things." His attempts to kill Shijie flashed through his mind, followed by his use of the Eye of Huīchén. Since then, all he had done was lie and deceive those closest to him. "Do I not deserve my inner peace anymore?"

"Inner peace is not something so simple, my panda friend."

Po sprung to his feet and turned around, watching as the aged turtle master climbed the last few steps to reach the peach tree. "Master Oogway?"

He nodded, "Inner peace is not so simple that it can be taken away. It is _you. _Your innermost self crystalized within the universe's gaze." He stopped next to the peach tree. "What our friend, the universe, was trying to convey is that you've lost your way. You've let yourself become corrupted with fear and pain."

Po looked at his feet, shame enveloping him. "I've felt those before, Master."

He nodded, "Yes, you have. Yet, now you internalize your pain, let it engulf you." he frowned deeply, "That is not inner peace, that is the _opposite._ To suffer and move on is to be one with the universe."

"That's easier said than done."

"True." Oogway took a couple more steps closer to Po, tapping his staff on the ground to get Po took up from his feet, "You've done so before."

"It's different now."

Oogway tilted his head. "How so?"

Fear wrapped itself around Po's heart. "I— " _have already messed up once. _"I can't say."

"You were not surprised to become the Dragon Warrior." Po looked up, shocked. "I could see it in your eyes."

"I— "

"You have cornered yourself. You are searching for a narrow path. One you've already convened. Such a path is never traversed without issue." He smiled weakly, "Destiny is never set in stone. It's fluid and often makes many twists and turns, much like a river. You must allow yourself to be free in your choices."

Po frowned, "You don't understand, Master."

"Perhaps not, but only because you've yet to enlighten me." He placed a claw on Po's shoulder. "I see in your eyes a man who has lived and lost. A man of experience and pain. I can only imagine what you've been through, but I assure you I am capable of understanding."

Po eyes lit up in a mixture of fear and relief, "You can see _them_?"

Oogway nodded, "The universe saw if fit to hide your scars for the time being, young panda. By having your scars remain, there would have been temporal inconsistencies— or issues within time itself. Time travel is a very fragile practise, though I must admit, this hardly seems to be the work of both ways of time travel."

Po nodded, relenting and giving in. He would no longer hide from Oogway. "No, neither the Paradox Crystal or the Temporal Gateway were used. This was an accident."

Oogway smiled and chuckled a bit to himself, "My friend, _there are no accidents._"

"It was a _mistake_." Po stepped away from Oogway, shrugging off his claw from his shoulder. "I . . . _failed _everyone. I let my own emotions control me."

"Emotions are innate. They are beyond control."

Po clenched his fists, "I should have tried. I should have listened to Shifu."

"There will always be what-if's. If you constantly fill your head with them, then they will destroy you. The past is that past, it's history for a reason. You must live in the present, do what you can from this point on." Po sat on the edge of the cliff, staring down into the valley. Slowly, Oogway made his way over, taking a seat next to him. "You lost someone?" Po nodded. "I know how that feels."

"I know. You and Kai were close, weren't you?"

Oogway snapped his head to Po, his eyes wide. "Kai? You met _Kai_?" Po only nodded, continuing to look down. Oogway turned his head back forward, "Kai . . . that's an old wound." He placed his claw on Po's shoulder again, waiting a moment to see if the panda was going to push him away before continuing. "You must not hang onto the past. You must embrace it. Your pain, your mistakes, they are all part of you. Do not let it engulf you. Embrace it so you may be whole once more." The words, "_As I did,"_ hung in the air.

Po tightened his fists on his knees as his thoughts fled back to his failure. How he had failed to save her.

'_Tigress's smile was intoxicating, but at this very moment he only felt an overwhelming sense of fear. "Po." Deep down within his gut, something told him that she was taking her last breath. She barely managed to struggle out his name when the light in her eyes started to fade. "Thank you." And then she was gone. Her head fell back, limp.'_

_Po waited for a moment, desperately wishing she would pull her head back up. That she could pull through. But, then her paw that had been gripping his own went numb and fell from his grasp. It hit the ground without as much as a sound, but for Po it felt as if the world shook._

Po whipped tears from his eyes, "She was at peace when she died. She had accepted it. But . . . " He took in a quick, choppy breath. "I hadn't. And . . . the _Eye _took me here."

"The Eye? As in the Eye of Huīchén?" Po nodded and Oogway retracted his arm from Po's shoulder and brought it up to his own face, "Oh dear, that is serious. You wished upon the Eye of Huīchén?"

"Kinda, but not exactly?" Po shrugged, "I wasn't touching the Eye, but Shifu said because it was cracked it had become linked to my spirit or something." He sighed, "I should have listened to Shifu, if I had then time wouldn't have been _rewound_. "

"Cracked?" Oogway paled, "You said you didn't have the Eye at the time?"

Po turned his head to Oogway, "Yea?"

"Anyone who had touched the Eye since it became cracked would have been _linked _to it."

Po's eyes widened, "But that would mean . . ."

'_The lizard's eyes burst with glee, "Finally!" His mouth dropped open and he hissed in satisfaction. "You're willing to look me in the eye. Well," He held up the Eye of __Huīchén__, displaying it to the panda. "I'll meet your bravado halfway." Po's eyes darted to look behind the lizard as a large figure cast a shadow over him. Shijie's eyes widened in shock and he sprung around. Kai reeled his arm back and struck forward with lightning speed. Shijie swung his arm forward as defense._

_The two clashed, sending a deafening wave of jade and blue energy careening outwards from the impact. Po winced at the sound. It was louder than he had remembered Shen's cannons in two pulled apart and Shijie turned his hand around, staring at the Eye of __Huīchén, with a large crack going down it's side. "No! The Eye!" He whipped his head at Kai, "What have you done!" He pushed it forward, throwing a burst of cyan energy at Kai, throwing back the yak.'_

"And . . ."

'_Tai lung slammed his elbow into Shijie's back and the lizard cried out in pain as he slammed into the ground. Po landed on his knees with a thud, almost collapsing onto the ground from pure pain and exhaustion. He instantly gripped his shoulder, just above his split arm. A soft thud sent his head snapping upwards just as the leopard landed on his feet, clutching the gem in his hand.'_

Po body straightened, "If someone touched the Eye after it had been cracked, would they remember what had happened?"

Oogway sighed deeply, "Perhaps, it's hard to know. Something like this has never happened before."

Po didn't respond, instead sitting in silence for a moment. Reluctantly, he turned his head to Oogway. "It's possible that Tai lung and Kai are in the same predicament as I am. They _remember. _But . . . is there a way to be sure?"

Oogway shook his head, "I'm afraid not. My knowledge of time travel itself is extremely limited and the Eye is a mystery in itself. All I know is that it can warp reality to one's desire. If Tai lung and Kai do indeed remember, then that will prove to be an issue." Oogway stood to his feet, pulling up on his staff to hoist himself up. "Think on what I've said. You do not need to hide from us, but I will keep your secret." he walked towards the stairs, stopping at the peach tree. ""I will meditate on what I've learned. See if I can find answers. In the meantime, do not stress yourself out about Tai lung. You _will _be prepared." He lightly tapped the peach tree, causing a single peach to fall into Po's lap.

Po picked up the peach, holding it tightly under his gaze as Oogway walked away. The panda frowned. What if Shijie remembered? Po tightened his grip on the patch. Shijie could _not _get his hands on the Eye once more. There would be no stopping him twice. Though, there was one more thing that bothered Po,

_The last thing Po had expected was a thick blue energy coat his arm. Within seconds his arm had stitched itself back together, leaving a long, jagged scar running down his arm. He snapped his head to Shifu, his heart beating, threatening to tear from his chest. Fear gripped him. Despite his own feeling, Shifu smiled, the Eye glowing within his own grasp. "There, you're healed."_

"_But, the Eye— "_

"_That was something minor." Shifu held up the gem, examining it as if looking for evidence against his own nonchalance in using its power. After a short moment, he sighed, "Bringing someone back to life is a different story."_

Po frowned, Tai lung's chi had seemed stronger than it should have. The panda was worried that the leopard had remembered everything, just as he did, but if Tai lung remembered, wouldn't Shifu have as well? He set the peach down on the ground next to him, continuing to stare off into the valley, one question raging through his mind. Just what did Shifu know?


End file.
